Sleep - For Parents, Carers and Trusted Adults
Often, children and young people can struggle with sleep. This can be exacerbated when they are living with persistent physical symptoms and/or recovering from an illness. Sleep is really important for us all, but particularly for children and young people, as it helps their memory, growth, mood, and immune systems. Sometimes, if young people are experiencing persistent symptoms, their sleep routines can get out of sync and end up “back-to-front”, with them sleeping in the daytime and awake at night. This can be frustrating for them, but also difficult for parents, carers, and trusted adults. It can sometimes end up being a ‘vicious cycle’ of sleep impacting on symptoms, and symptoms impacting on sleep – which can be hard to escape from.
It can be helpful to go “back to basics” when it comes to sleep. Here are some tips which are shown to help children and young people sleep better:
- Bedtime routine – encouraging young people to have a set routine before bed can not only help them to wind down, but can also build associations in their brain which help the brain to know it’s time to go to sleep. Co-creating this routine with your child, rather than deciding for them, can help give them a sense of control and independence, which can encourage them to keep the routine going. You could include things like reading a book together, listening to an audiobook, or having a bubble bath, as well as things like brushing their teeth and putting their pyjamas on.
- Regular bedtime and waking time – it’s really important to have a consistent routine around sleep. Consistency helps the brain to know when we need to be awake and when we need to be asleep. Getting up at the same time every day (yes, even at weekends!) is a really helpful way to get that body clock back on track.
- Beds are for sleeping! Although it is tempting for children and young people to lie on their beds to watch TV, game, chat to their friends, or read, this actually weakens the association between bed and sleep, making it harder to go to sleep at night. Making sure your child has a comfy, cosy place to do these activities can help make it easier to transition away from doing them in bed.
- A good sleep environment – make sure that their room is dark, cool, quiet and comfy. It’s a good idea not to have any clocks, lights, TVs or phones facing them, as they can be distracting and make it harder to go to sleep. Having a preferred soft toy or other cosy item can help young people feel safe and relaxed when they are in bed and going to sleep. If your young person finds it hard to be away from you at night, having an item like a bear or blanket which you both have one of can be a nice way to help them know that you are connected, even when you are apart.
- No napping! Although it can be very difficult not to nap, especially if the young person is very tired or fatigued, evidence shows that naps make it much more difficult to sleep at night. If young people absolutely have to nap, make sure it’s no longer than 30 minutes (set an alarm!) and always before 3pm. It’s a good idea for the nap to be in a room which is light too, to avoid falling deeply asleep.
Avoiding loud, exciting, or physical activities before bed is important – doing these things can stimulate the brain and a stimulated brain is not conducive to a good night’s sleep! Picking some quieter, calmer activities such as colouring, reading, or listening to audiobooks, can be nice replacements for things like gaming or social media.
There is lots more information on supporting children and young people with their sleep on the below websites: