BATON ROUGE — There are many reasons your child may have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep.

One you may not have considered? Their night-light. That little source of light can be pretty disruptive.

"Nightlights can significantly impact the child's sleep, but it really depends on the type of light that you use, the brightness of it, and the color of it. Generally, bright blue lights, like the color of the sky, significantly affect our normal melatonin production, which controls our circadian rhythm. So, our sleep schedules can get really messed up by bright lights, blue lights at nighttime,” sleep specialist Brian Chen said.

Experts say a red-colored nightlight is best for bedtime because it does not disrupt melatonin production. However, little kids may find the color red scary in the dark, so a good alternative would be something that's orange or amber-colored.

The placement of a nightlight matters too. Keeping it lower to the ground, if possible, is recommended, making sure it does not illuminate the ceiling. Nightlights are really about personal preference; some children may need them, and some may not.

"And perhaps if your child needs a nightlight that slowly dims down and goes off at nighttime, if they can tolerate that, then that'd be great. So, maybe they just need a nightlight for them to know that it's bedtime, and maybe read a little bedtime story, get ready for bed, and then after they've fallen asleep, it'd be great if the nightlight turns off and it is dark,” Chen said.

If your child has had sleep issues for a while and does not seem to be improving, it is best to discuss with a pediatrician.