Resources & Education

sleep, progressive muscle relaxation,

Tips for Restful Sleep

Posted by Tia Ruggiero on 6/8/2022

Share:

Tips for Restful Sleep

You yawn, your eyelids are getting heavy, it's hard to concentrate on what you are doing… It’s time for bed. You brush your teeth, wash your face, and climb under the covers. Expecting to be asleep in minutes, you turn out the lights. An hour later, wide-eyed you lay there in the dark, thoughts racing through your brain. Are you ready for your test tomorrow? Will your boss be pleased with your work? What will the future look like? Did you actually say THAT in the conversation with that boy/girl you like? Were those kids laughing at you during your presentation? A bowl of Captain Crunch sounds so good right now. Maybe you should eat and then you could fall asleep…

There are few things that affect our mental health more than sleep. Healthy sleep hygiene plays a vital role in the functioning of our body’s organs, brain, immune system, appetite, endocrine system, mood, and more. The American Academy of Pediatrics states “Children who get enough sleep have a healthier immune system, and better school performance, behavior, memory, and mental health” (2020).

Losing sleep can increase symptoms of anxiety and depression, irritability, hyperactivity, impulsivity, difficulty concentrating, headaches, and overall restlessness. It can increase risk for obesity, high blood pressure, and Diabetes. For children and adolescents, inadequate sleep can have a severe impact on academic performance, social functioning, and emotional wellness.

What does a healthy night’s sleep look like? According to Mental Health America (2022,) healthy sleep includes falling asleep within 30 minutes, waking up 1 time or not at all, during the night, and falling back to sleep within 20 minutes. It is getting an average of 8-10 hours of sleep per night for adolescents and adults, and 9-12 hours for ages 6-12 years old.

Here are some tips to improve your sleep habits:

Stick to a schedule: Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
Physical Activity: Being physically active daily for 20-30 minutes helps improve sleep quality. (Be sure not to exercise in the 2-3 hours directly before bed.)
Create a relaxing bedtime routine: read a book, take a warm bath, meditate, journal, do a nighttime devotional, do some deep breathing and/or light stretching.

*For your child, create a relaxing bedtime routine with them including these elements. Let them pick out special touches to make it meaningful; a special bubble bath, a favorite story book to read together, a journal to write notes to each other in. Give them time to talk about their day and any worries or fears they may have.

Create a relaxing environment: Use soothing colors, lights, and decor in your room, keep the temperature at a comfortable level, avoid doing work or other stressful activities in your bedroom.
Avoid screen time 1 hour before bedtime.
Avoid sugary foods/drinks, caffeine and nicotine late in the day and alcoholic drinks before bed.

If you are having trouble falling asleep, try:

Naming things you are grateful for. (My mom, my puppy, the dandelions on the way to school today, the warmer weather, that funky song that makes me smile)
The Alphabet Game- pick a topic and list things in that category starting with each letter of the alphabet. (avocados, bananas, cantaloupe..)
Count backwards from 100 by 3’s.
Deep breathing
Progressive Muscle Relaxation