Good SLEEP – Sometimes Elusive, But Always Necessary

Getting good sleep can be quite elusive to people these days – Personally, there’s many nights when I lay in bed staring at the ceiling as thoughts of the million and one things I have to do tomorrow go ‘round and ‘round in my head. I don’t know about you, but when this happens to me the next day is a LOT more difficult! For kids with autism who may have a natural personality that includes perseverating thoughts, just think about how this can impact their sleep patterns! We know from scientific research on sleep, developing children need 8-10 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night. Is your kid getting that? If they’re not, it will most definitely impact their ability to learn in the classroom. And, one of the biggest challenges for teachers these days is that kids are coming to school exhausted. Is it time on social media? Irregular patterns of daily home life? Stressors in the home due to the current economic situation? It’s probably a combination of all 3, sadly. BUT there is hope!  I will outline a few below that helped our home, and I hope they help yours too!

Include Daily Physical Activity

SO many of us don’t get enough physical activity. Covid compounded that times a gazillion! I was reading an article that said that prior to Covid, most of us walked 4,700 steps per day. Post Covid, some of us barely get 1,000 per day. Online employment, technology, the ability to order our groceries online, all have a huge negative impact to our fitness. Think about how many hours per day your child spends online, sitting at a desk, watching videos on YouTube, etc. Physical activity is one of the most impactful elements to our sleep, in particular, how much time we spend in REM sleep, which is where our brains go into a recovery process. If you need to include it on a schedule, make sure your child gets rigorous, child appropriate, exercise every day. This could include time at a neighborhood park, running around in the yard, swimming (make sure to get swimming lessons), riding a bike, and even jumping on a bed (yea, I let my kids do that :o)

Monitor What They Eat – Especially After Dinner

For all of us, one of the fastest ways to put weight on is to consume too many calories and fats after dinner. Foods loaded with sugar, food colors, and hard to digest enzymes all battle against sleep, and contribute to obesity. Some things that you might not even be concerned about, like apple juice, are loaded with sugars, so watch out for hidden culprits against sleep. Try to limit snacks to an afternoon afterschool snack session. If you want to include a “You ate all of your dinner” – or “You tried a piece of your dinner” reward, offer that as close to dinner, and away from sleep time, as possible. A churning digestive system is a sleep-stealer.

Follow a Routine

Bedtime routines are actually very important for people of all ages because they serve as a signal to the body that it’s time to start calming down to prepare for sleep.  You probably already have some sort of bedtime routine in place even if you haven’t consciously created it, so thinking about what your current routine looks like and considering whether it’s conducive to a restful night can be a great place to start.

Next, if you’re not already doing so, create a goal to stop all electronics (tv, phones, iPads, etc.) at least one hour before bedtime. The blue light alone disturbs sleep patterns. Other parts of a restful bedtime routine may include taking a bath (when my son was young, we used Epsom salts in a nice warm bath), reading (a paper book), listening to soft music, toothbrushing, and providing your child with calming sensory input.

Use a Visual Schedule

This goes right along with what’s mentioned above. We would have the daily schedule, which included nighttime routine, posted on the refrigerator (because everyone LOVES to see what’s in a frig, so it kept the schedule in mind all of the time). We had a separate schedule for the bathroom routine posted on the mirror in the bathroom. This helped with showering, brushing teeth, dressing, etc. Any activity can be broken down into tiny bite sized steps, and I cannot over-emphasize the importance of “one small step” – in fact, it’s how most of us are successful at anything in life.

Setting Up the Environment for Good Sleep

Remember that it is important to consider things that may need to be removed from your child’s bedroom to make their sleeping environment less stimulating. On the flip side, there are also things that you can add to your child’s room that may help them to relax. For example, many children do well with deep pressure, so a weighted blanket or compression sheet may be good options to explore. Other suggestions include a fan or white noise machine, soft music, a night light (be sure it’s not too bright), and essential oils.

Essential Oils

There are a number of essential oils that are known for helping with relaxation and sleep. Lavender is usually the first one that people think of, but just like most things – it can work for some and have the opposite effect on others. It may take some trial and error to figure out the best oil or blend of oils that will promote sleep for each person. These oils can be diffused in the child’s bedroom or sprinkled on their favorite bedtime blankie. I remember being in a classroom years ago, while observing a student, and the teacher offered a small cloth with some essential oils sent in by his mom. The child that was previously having a very difficult time remaining in one place, became much more tranquil within about 5 minutes. It was pretty interesting to see.

Supplements

Melatonin is a hormone that your brain produces in response to darkness. It helps with the timing of your circadian rhythms (24-hour internal clock) and with sleep. Being exposed to light at night (like that found on an ipad) can block melatonin production. Some people find melatonin supplementation very helpful. For me, it did the opposite. So, just like most things, you can give it a try if it makes sense to you and your family and see how it goes. From the families who have shared that it’s been helpful, most report that they use it sparingly and, on a schedule, – so, again, the schedule is important.

Share the Load

Even with all the “right” things in place, if your kids aren’t sleeping, chances are good that you’re not either. If you have a spouse, partner, co-parent, etc., try taking shifts or trading off nights of who is supervising your child when they are awake so the burden of not sleeping doesn’t all fall on one person. You might also ask a friend or family member to come over and spend some time with your child during the day/evening so you can grab a nap.

We MUST take care of ourselves if we’re going to be there for our families – YOU are IMPORTANT!!!

Happy Sleeping!