Sleep Needs Sleep Debts

Dear Parent,

Sleep is food for the brain.  Our kids are tired--A LOT.  Well, you might be, too.  As children approach puberty their circadian rhythms change from naturally getting sleepy around 8pm or 9pm to later, around 11pm.   Sleep needs result from two different factors: basal sleep needs--the amount of sleep our bodies need on a regular basis for optimal function--and sleep debt--the accumulated sleep that is lost to poor sleep habits, sickness, stress, and awakenings due to environmental factors or other causes. 

Sleep deprivation can lead to emotion dysregulation, depression, behavioral problems, school failure, irritability, and attention deficits.  If your child already has some of those symptoms from other causes, they will be exacerbated by sleep debt.  Here are a few things to keep in mind when trying to be a good sleeper.

• Determine how much sleep you or your child needs to be healthy, invigorated, and smarter.  Yes, sleep makes you smarter by giving you more access to your brain function.
• The bedroom is your sanctuary, your sacred space, your zone.  The cooler the better.  The darker the better.  Only let in bright light when you want to wake up. Maybe caffeine doesn’t bother you, but your lack of sleep may be telling a different story.  Cut out coffee, tea, soda, nicotine and chocolate after 12pm.  Scary, right?  Also, sleeping aids are habit forming because they don’t work over time without upping the dosage.
• Establish a bedtime and a wake-up routine.  Don’t vary your routine on the weekends either.
• Don’t use electronic gadgets or watch TV within an hour of bedtime.  I know some of you like falling asleep to the news, but it is not good for your brain. Did I mention stick with a routine?  Oh, yes, I did.

If your child has a hard time getting up in the morning, it may simply be a need for more sleep or a sleep debt being caught up.  That doesn't make it any easier to get him out the door every day, but the information can make you a little more sympathetic, as you wake him up, over and over and over.

Good sleep practice is good mental health practice.

Love matters,

Ce

P.S. Check out the Love Matters Parenting Society membership for more support.