Sleep. Remember when you would do anything to avoid sleep? As a child, you’d fight naps. Ask for a million bedtime stories. Beg for a nighttime drink. If only you knew then what you know now – sleep is essential. We all need to sleep. And as we get older, we learn to appreciate why. From more energy to better health to a sharper mind, sleep during the night helps fuel us during the day.

“Sleep impacts cellular repair, growth hormone release, regulation of the nervous and immune systems, metabolism, and weight management,” says Terry Cralle, RN, Certified Clinical Sleep Educator, Certified in Clinical Sleep Health, Co-author of Sleeping Your Way to the Top and Snoozby and the Great Big Bedtime Battle. “We function better with sufficient sleep – physically, emotionally, and metabolically.”

How to explain the importance of sleep to kids

How can you explain that to a young child? And even if you could, would they care? Would they understand? Well, that’s where Moshi comes in. This miraculous app is perfectly suited to help your kids fall asleep and stay asleep. Its sleepy audio bedtime stories and soothing sounds and music calm little minds and lull children to sleep faster.

The app is designed to be used after the traditional bedtime story,  once the lights go out. Each completely original Moshi Story works by giving kids something pleasant and calming to listen to while the body’s natural fatigue takes over and lulls them into a deep and restful sleep. 

Moshi has over 30 hours of stories, music, meditations, and sounds that can be easily managed on a cellphone, tablet, Bluetooth speaker, or even an Alexa device, so no need for screens at bedtime.

In this busy, non-stop world our children live in, it can be hard for little minds to slow down in time for a peaceful bedtime. Almost impossible for some. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders affect one in every eight kids. Lack of sleep can have some dire consequences and even some long-term effects.

“Anxiety in children is often caused by frightening or emotional events but can also be triggered by seemingly minor daily stressors that children don’t yet have the ability to process or manage,” says Dr. Janet Kennedy, Clinical Psychologist, author of The Good Sleeper: The Essential Guide to Sleep for Your Baby (and You) and Founder of NYC Sleep Doctor.

Why are our kids suddenly sleeping less and worrying more?

As parents, it’s our job to help in any way we can. In addition, we have to realize why it’s important to get our children to sleep, besides the obvious. “Getting enough sleep can reduce the risk of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, dementia, strokes, depression, and certain cancers,” says Terry Cralle.

So we pretty much know the obvious problems that a lack of sleep can cause. Some include being tired throughout the day and having difficulties concentrating at school. Or even irritability and headaches. “Sleep (or rather a lack thereof) affects just about every aspect of our functioning, including productivity, learning, quality of life, communication, problem-solving, energy, motivation, motor skills, memory, weight management, outlook, coordination, reasoning skills, relationships, judgment, reaction time, decision-making, fine motor skills, mood, resilience, and more” adds Terry.

But what about the not-so-obvious ones? “Sufficient sleep is so important for learning,” says Terry, adding, “During the early years of life, the rate of learning is more rapid than at any time in the life cycle. For children, sleep is especially important for physical development as well as brain development. Indeed a human growth hormone is released during deep sleep which is responsible for building, repairing and maintaining muscles and bones.”

How can we help our children sleep better?

First off, never make a big deal out of sleep. Sure, complain and vent to other parents, but never make your child feel bad. The last thing you want to do is increase their anxiety when it comes to bedtime and sleep.

According to Dr. Kennedy, “Anxiety can intensify around bedtime because we are more vulnerable to scary thoughts when lying down. Our cognitive defenses naturally relax in that position. Bedtime also represents separation from parents, which can be a big source of anxiety. Kids often delay bedtime when they feel anxious. And their behavior (crying, fighting, pleading) often gets rewarded with more of their parent’s time and attention, reinforcing the pattern of protest.”

Secondly, think about all the things you do throughout the day to relax, especially before bed. And think about all the ways to incorporate those into your child’s daily or nighttime routine.

This is where Moshi comes into play. Moshi is the perfect wind down after a busy (or not so busy) day. This bedtime app offers 100 bedtime stories, meditations, calming sounds, and dreamy music to help little listeners drift off. If you want more advice on how to help kids relax at bedtime read our sleep tips article.

Did we mention that Moshi can also reduce anxiety, ease bedtime transitions and helps kids fall asleep faster? And what does this mean for parents? How about gifting parents with more of their night? More ‘you time’, more free time, and more time for you to decompress and relax so you too can get a better night’s sleep!

Even though our children are busier than ever these days, sleep has always been important. It doesn’t matter the generation or decade, sleep has always been essential to our wellbeing. And our children’s well-being. So why not make bedtime a dream with Moshi? Why not help your children to their best sleep, which translates to even better days. Sure sounds dreamy to us.

Alyssa Morgan