Blossoming Thought 1: Sleep

Have you noticed that our kids are more tired than we were as kids?! Our world is changing - check out my tips for setting our kids up for success.

This week I've been thinking about sleep... and yes, I've been thinking about it whilst I probably should have been sleeping.... In particular, I've been thinking about sleep for our school-aged kids. I have a VERY busy 7-year-old. And I know she also has VERY busy 7-year-old friends. Something that I feel as parents we often talk about now is how tired our kids are. And interestingly, I also hear a lot of kids (both my own, and those around me socially, as well as from the families I'm working with) saying how tired they are! It's interesting. When I was a kid (particularly in primary school) there is no way I would have admitted to being tired. So it's got me thinking.

When we look at the statistics and evidence around sleep, we know that we are (both us as parents, and our kids) sleeping about one hour less than we used to about 100 years ago. This has likely been influenced by how we live (the 24/7 lifestyle, longer working hours, use and access to technology and the presence of artificial light). There is also related health implications - we know that limiting sleep leads to brain 'fog', but it can also be linked to higher risks of heart disease, diabetes, cancers, dementia, and mental health concerns. For our kids, we know that kids with poorer sleep have poorer academic outcomes at school, but that they also are more likely to have difficulties with their social and emotional development (their ability to make and maintain friendships and manage in the playground, as well as their self-management and executive functioning skills).

So how much sleep do we need - as adults, we should be aiming for 8 hours of sleep. For primary school-aged children, it's 9-11 hours and for teenagers it's 8-12 hours.

I work with lots of families on sleep. I think it's one of the hardest goals to work on. That's because it takes a whole family approach, with the most benefit coming from implementing good sleep hygiene practices. What am I talking about? This includes things like the routine we go through when getting ready for bed. In our house, for my 7-year-old, this includes dinner, a chat, PJs, teeth and toilet, then a hot chocolate (this is also part of another goal we are working on around mealtimes), book in bed and bed/sleep. It doesn't necessarily matter what your routine is, as long as it's consistent (including the time it starts and ends). Other things to consider are the environment (making sure the bedroom is dark (can include a night light if needed - or outside light from hallway etc), cool temperature, and comfortable (for your child - everyone is different with our own preferences).

So my top 3 tips around sleep if you're feeling like your child is tired (or they're telling you they are):

1. Work out how much sleep they are getting - and think about if they need to be heading to bed earlier to make sure they are getting enough sleep.

2. As a family, decide on your bedtime routine (what will be included, when it will start and end) - setting up the routine ahead of time so everyone knows the expectation.

3. Limit screens/technology. I know this one is hard for a lot of families... We know that access to blue light (eg from TV and devices) delays our body's natural production of melatonin, delaying the onset of sleep. Some suggestions to try would be reading a book together before bed, or listening to music or a book. One of my favourites is the ABC Kids Listen App (and a hot tip - you can even listen to Bluey episodes on there!!)

Categories: : Blossoming Thought