Did you know that a good night’s sleep can make all the difference to your next day? A restless night often leaves you feeling sluggish and tired whereas a deep and comfortable sleep makes you feel invigorated and ready to take on the world upon waking up.

Interestingly, our sleep routine has a lot to do with our childhood. What are some of your earliest remarkable memories of bedtime? Having a soothing bath, reading a book or listening to music? Researchers have found that having an excellent bedtime routine helps in calming the mind and ensuring a good night’s sleep.

For children, the singing of lullabies is one of the favourite ways of ‘winding down’ before going to sleep. Gentle songs sung by the parents or played on a portable speaker help children sleep into a deep slumber. Did you know lullabies have been scientifically proven to play an essential role in the overall development of the child besides having a soothing impact?

Some benefits of lullabies include:

• Faster normalisation of blood pressure and heartbeats caused by sudden movements or voices.
• Relieving the child’s tension and increasing drowsiness, rocking or patting the child while singing also adds to this impact.
• Use of simple melodies and repetitive words, improving the child’s ability to learn the language quickly.
• Salubrious communication between the mother and her baby; strengthening the mother-child bond.
• Making the child feel that the mother is always with him/her, increasing the feeling of safety while asleep.
• Stimulation of the perception centres in the baby’s brain, making the understanding of lullaby’s meaning easier.
• Passage of information about a variety of subjects to the child early in life. Some lullabies are improvised by referring to plants, objects, colours, routines, customs etc. enhancing the child’s ability to understand these things. For example, as a baby, did you know that stars twinkle and are visible in the sky? Your mother singing ‘Twinkle, twinkle, little star’ gave you this information!
• Laying the foundation for learning mathematical patterns by using various tones and rhythms.
• Assisting the child in developing a calmer personality.
• Conveying positivity since lullabies always wish for the child’s wellbeing making the child subconsciously feel comforted and loved.
• Since lullabies are never written down and passed on orally, they are traditionally passed on from each generation to the next, forming an everlasting rich bond.
• Lullabies thus act like a signal which tells your body to relax, let go of all the worries and go to sleep. Best of all, this practice can be started anytime! So if you haven’t had your parents sing to you so far, the time to start is now.

Follow these basic tips to get the most out of your lullaby:

• Create the right atmosphere: Darken the room and ensure that there are no intrusive gadgets around.
• Choose relaxing music: Classical tunes seem to work best, usually those with 60 beats/minute.
• Limit it to 30 minutes.
• Take it with you anywhere you go: Record your lullaby to help you sleep when you travel.

Try sleeping to lullabies and establish an enjoyable new routine!