SLEEP AND WELLBEING

Is there a link between poor sleep and poor emotional wellbeing? Absolutely……

As adults I am sure we can all relate to feeling down, irritable, having poor concentration and having poor impulse control when we haven’t had a good night’s sleep.

We also know that when our kids don’t sleep well we see the same thing in them.

Poor or broken sleep can be associated with increased problems academically, socially and emotionally. There can also be an increase in behavioural issues, poor concentration and attention as well as trouble with impulse control. 

There may be many reasons for poor sleep but here are some tips that can be used for the whole family to promote healthy sleep:

• 
  Establish a bedtime routine - helps kids to know what is expected of them.
• Keep bedtime consistent (within 30 minutes)  every day - even on the weekend - aim to wake up and go to bed at the same time each day.
• Try to fall asleep in your own bed to maintain routine - we all know what it’s like to fall asleep on the lounge for 15 minutes when watching TV and then feeling wide awake again.
• Remove all TVs, devices and computers from bedrooms - light stimulation from these things stops the brain from producing the sleep chemical - Melatonin.
• Turn off all devices for at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
• Avoid caffeine after 3:00pm - caffeine is a stimulant that will interfere with sleep. These include things such as chocolate, tea, cola.
• Have a wind down period - for both parents and kids - show that a bedtime routine is important for everyone.
• Exercise during the day to help feel tired at night.
• If stress is playing a role in poor sleep - try some stress management strategies such as progressive muscle relaxation or mindfulness activities -these can even be done as part of a ‘wind down’ period.

There is a lot of great information out there about the importance of sleep and the effects on the body, both physically and emotionally and can be found in this link: https://raisingchildren.net.au/

If you feel there are other issues at play regarding your child’s sleep, please see your GP for further investigations.