Kids with sleep troubles aren’t alone—70 percent of children under ten experience a sleep problem several nights a week, according to a University of Houston study. If your family is stuck in the bleary haze of sleep deprivation, your child’s bedroom could be the source of the problem.

According to Roslinde Collins, M.D., medical director of Rutland Regional Medical’s Sleep Center in Vermont, and Lacie Petitto, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner under Arkansas Children’s Hospital’s Pulminary Division of Sleep Medicine, sleeping in a space that’s too bright, too warm, or too stimulating can wreak havoc on healthy sleep patterns. Sleep science is pointing the way to a better bedroom that’s a sanctuary for sleep. These simple bedroom fixes could put your child’s sleep troubles to rest:

Bedroom Blunder: Too Much Light

The soft light streaming through your child’s bedroom window can seriously impact sleep quality. Exposure to artificial light has drastically increased over the last 100 years, and the negative effect on our health and wellbeing is powerful.

Why It’s Critical
Light exposure is one of the strongest regulators of the biological clock, says Patrick Wolcott, M.D., medical director of the Sleep Center of Southern California. Nighttime light—even the glow from your child’s monitor or alarm clock—suppresses melatonin and disrupts circadian rhythms. And, Lacie Petitto, APN at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, says “Excess light triggers the brain to stay wakeful.”

Quick Fixes
Make the house as dark as possible in the hours before bed by drawing curtains and limiting television and video games. Tiny beams of light can impact sleep, so black out the bedroom by installing light-blocking shades, shutting off electronics, and turning bright alarm clocks toward the wall.

All lights aren’t created equal. Blue lights (like those on many modern gadgets) are especially harmful. “Something about the blue light spectrum affects sleep-wake patterns more than regular white light,” says psychologist Shelby Harris, Psy.D., director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.

Bedroom Blunder: Too Warm

When people put up with a too-warm bedroom, sleep suffers. If summer sunlight is turning your child’s bedroom into a sauna, chilling out can improve his ability to fall asleep quickly at bedtime and sleep through the night.

Why It’s Critical
Bedroom temperature is about more than comfort; it’s an important physiological cue, says Harris. First, a drop in body temperature triggers sleep. Then the body naturally cools over the course of the night, reaching its lowest core temperature two hours before waking. Sleeping in a space that’s too warm is linked to nightmares, night waking, even Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

While the ideal bedroom temperature is largely a matter of personal preference, experts say cool rules. “Between 68 to 70 degrees is the most comfortable average temperature,” says Lacie Petitto, APN.

Quick Fixes
If air conditioning is an option, use it to cool the bedroom before turning in. Otherwise, open windows and use fans to help move warm air out of the bedroom. Blackout shades are also helpful, because a room that stays darker will also stay cooler.

Bedroom Blunder: Too Stimulating

Modern kids’ bedrooms are often home to heaps of electronics, stacks of homework, jumbles of toys, and piles of books. It all adds up to a space that sends your child’s brain into overdrive, instead of into restful sleep.

Why It’s Critical
When it comes to sleep, kids’ bodies crave routine and repetition, says Wolcott. So watching television, playing video games, and surfing the Internet before bed program the brain to wake up when it should be settling down for sleep.

Quick Fixes
Make your child’s bedroom a haven for sleep by banning laptops, video games, and television. If reading in bed is a cherished habit, set a time limit on bedtime reading and provide light reading materials.

Bedroom Blunder: Too Messy

Turns out, moms are right—a messy bedroom can be hazardous to your child’s health. According to the National Sleep Foundation, people who make their beds daily are 19 percent more likely to sleep well every night. And 71 percent of Americans say they sleep better in a fresh-smelling bedroom.

Why It’s Critical
Climbing into a clean, fresh bed helps children relax and set aside their cares, while messy, unkempt rooms may provoke stress.

Quick Fixes
Daily bed-making should be a family habit. To invoke even more calm, adopt the feng shui-inspired habit of closing closet and bedroom doors before tuck-in. Creating a sense of order in the bedroom helps pave the way for sweeter dreams, starting tonight.

Take a few minutes to improve your child’s sleeping space with these quick fixes from sleep expert Shelby Harris, Psy.D.:

  • Make the bed and remove heavy, out-of-season blankets
  • Cover windows, bright electronics, and other light sources
  • Close closet doors, bathroom doors, and dresser drawers
  • Remove piles of laundry, stacks of paper, and unfinished homework
  • Leave the video games, laptop, cell phones, and electronics in another room
  • Plug in a fan or white noise machine