Generally, we like to think of kids happy, relaxed, and totally stress-free – after all, what on Earth could be stressful about childhood? But it turns out that parents may do this at their children's peril. For some kids, stress and anxiety are a daily reality, and that can have a major impact on their sleep. At 5 Little Monkeys, our mission is to help families everywhere experience the transformative power of healthy sleep, so we'd like to shed some light on how stress can affect your child's sleep.

Stress & Your Child's Sleep

Despite what we may assume, stress can be a serious issue for kids. 20% of kids aged 8 to 17 report that they worry a great deal, and often, childhood stress goes unnoticed and unacknowledged by caregivers. And while chronic stress can have many effects, one of the biggest is worsened sleep.

But children don't always have the emotional awareness to understand when they're stressed, so it's important for parents to be on the lookout. Poor sleep is one sign of chronic childhood stress, but you should keep an eye out for these symptoms, as well:

• Tummy aches
• Headaches
• Bedwetting
• Strong, uncontrollable emotions
• Lack of interest in school or family activities
• Inability to relax

If you do notice these or other symptoms of stress in your child, don't ignore them. Chronic stress can cause a lot of problems over time, so it's important to find the root cause of the stress and take steps to make it better. Also remember that stress can be both a cause and a symptom, so your child's sleep routine may be an underlying cause of the stress as well.

Get the Best Mattress for Children

One way to both improve sleep and reduce stress is to make sure your child has a proper children's mattress, and thankfully, we can help. The 5 Little Monkeys Sleep System universally loved by parents and kids alike, so making the switch may do a lot to reduce your child's stress. See the difference that better sleep can make: try our organic kids mattress today!