Sweet Dreams
"So how you are sleeping?" This is a question that I never fail to ask my clients. Whether a young child or their retired grandparent, this question is key to my being able to better meet their needs. Sleep might well be the cornerstone of good health- mental or otherwise. If we are not sleeping, then we are not doing well in most other areas. Often I have seen children in my office with attention issues, anger problems and behavior issues. As the session proceeds, their sleep issues are the last thing their parents bring up. I know that if I am sleeping poorly it is going to be much more difficult for me to pay attention and manage my emotions. So it stands to reason that an 8 year old might have the same struggles.
What do you do if you or your child are not sleeping well? Sometime the first thing we consider are pharmaceutical sleep aids. There are certainly enough of them out there. But before we take that route, let's consider some other options:
First of all eating well and getting enough exercise is key. When we overload our bodies with sugar and caffeine we are naturally going to struggle to relax. Relaxation is key to sleep. While we may be mentally and emotionally exhausted at the end of the day, being physically tired is also helpful. Exercise will help us general be more tired. Getting some exercise through the day will also help reduce physical and emotional stress. This goes for children too. They need to eat well and play hard!
Having a bedtime routine is also helpful. Set a time to get into bed. Make it early enough that you ensure you are getting the amount of sleep you need. Avoid electronics in your bedroom. Don't work on your laptop, watch TV or check Facebook and email on your phone in bed. Take a bath or shower before getting into bed. Write in a journal. Read a book (preferably one not so exciting that you can't put it down). This is for adults and children. Children should not be falling asleep with TVs on in their room or going to bed when they choose. They need a routine that is relaxing and consistent.
Learning some relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation or guided imagery can help. Getting your body to slow down and find peace will help you to calm yourself and fall to sleep. You can even find guided imagery scripts online to read to your children or find recordings to play.
Finally, it may be necessary to discover if there is something that is keeping you from sleeping. Are you stressed, worried, grieving, angry or depressed? These things all can have a negative impact on sleep for adults and children. Working through these difficult issues may result in better sleep. Finding someone to talk to about it or an outlet to allow you to deal with things better may help.
We cannot discount the importance of a good night's sleep. So whatever it is that you need to do for yourself or your child to sleep better, you may want to give it a try. You will be surprised at how many things improve when you are well rested.