We’ve all heard of personal hygiene, but what exactly is sleep hygiene? According to Dr. Sonia Smith, owner and practitioner of Emerald Coast Sleep Consultants, LLC., sleep hygiene describes the activities and practices that people do every night in preparation for a restful, restorative night of sleep.
“Sleep hygiene includes personal activities, as well as factors in the environment, that can either help to improve sleep or prevent people from falling asleep and staying asleep,” Dr. Smith said.
Although practicing good sleep hygiene is beneficial for everyone, establishing a bedtime routine is the most important sleep hygiene practice for children. Other good practices include turning off electronic devices one to two hours before bed, relaxation before bed, and preparing the household environment for sleep.
Dr. Smith said problems such as getting children to settle down for the night, multiple night awakenings, and problems with daytime functioning due to fatigue may be the result of poor sleep hygiene. Avoiding caffeine prior to bedtime, dimming bright lights in the home and limiting heavy meals before bed are positive sleep hygiene measures. Eliminating electronics one to two hours before bed— including television, cell phones, tablets and computers—may also enhance your child’s ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Practice good sleep hygiene every day to help maximize your child’s chances of achieving a restful night’s sleep. “Establish a bedtime routine that works for the entire family and stick to it as much as possible,” Dr. Smith said. “Practice makes perfect.”
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A sleep study, also known as a polysomnogram, is a test that evaluates the patient’s breathing, heartbeat, leg and arm movements, oxygen levels and brainwaves while they sleep.
The holidays are here! Some of us are still scrambling to find the perfect gift for that one person who seems to have everything. How about giving them the gift of a restful, restorative night’s sleep?
It sounds simple enough – just lay down, relax, and go to sleep. Unfortunately, getting to sleep is anything but simple for a lot of people – including children. Sometimes it can be difficult to turn off the brain and tune out or to wind down little busy bodies. Sometimes medicines are indicated to help people to fall asleep. But sometimes performing some simple acts that relax the body and calm the mind are enough to ease children into soothing slumber.
I have a lot of patients that come through my practice who are on wonderful sleep schedules during the school year. Their parents and I worked really hard to make sure that there was a good sleep routine in place and that they were practicing excellent sleep hygiene practices. Their children’s sleep had improved dramatically and everybody was happy. That is, until school ended for the summer.
Routine, Routine, Routine
Trips Out of Town
Greetings Sound Sleepers! In my last blog post “THE FOOD FACTOR, HOW TO EAT FOR A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP” we discussed foods that contain Magnesium, a mineral known for it’s function in allowing the body to relax it’s muscles.
One ripe banana.
Peel and slice or break up banana. Put in your Tablespoons of Greek Yogurt and mash and blend with a fork.
Sprinkle with crushed nuts and ENJOY! Isn’t it surprising how something so simple can taste so sweet? (This is also delicious frozen)
Children with autism may be faced with multiple challenges including problems with socialization, behavior, and learning. A common problem among children with autism is an inability to achieve restful sleep. Sleep problems are prevalent in the autistic population and can be a common complaint voiced by parents.
Approximately 70% of children with autism have problems sleeping. Outside factors in the world of the child with autism that may influence his or her inability to sleep include sensory sensitivities and disruptions in routine. Internal factors may include anxiety, an inability to settle down for the night, difficulty reading social cues, and an inability to regulate emotions. Physical factors in children with autism that may interfere with sleep include differences in the production and regulation of sleep hormones and sleep neurotransmitters (chemical messengers that help to transmit signals in the brain).
Many children with autism use tablets, computers, and other electronic devices to self-soothe. Children may use these devices for multiple hours during the day and into the night. The use of electronics during the evening and night hours can interfere with sleep in a number of ways. First of all, if they are being used at night, the child is not giving their body the opportunity to go to sleep. Second, the light from electronic devices has been shown to interfere with the release of sleep hormones in the brain such as melatonin. Eliminating or limiting electronic devices in the evening and night for children with autism can be challenging. If decreasing screen time is an impossibility, efforts can be made to dim the screen light or the child can be encouraged to use special glasses that block blue light – the type of light that can interfere with sleep.
My dog snores. People don’t often think about pets as a potential source of sleep disturbance. I will never forget a patient that I had several years ago that had headaches and problems sleeping. I asked all of the typical questions about her sleep hygiene and habits but nothing stood out, until my patient volunteered, “I think it’s my pig”. I looked up from my computer and asked her to repeat what she had said. She said again, “I think it’s my pig”. She then proceeded to take out her cell phone and show me a picture of her pet potbelly pig. My patient’s pig wasn’t exactly Wilbur-sized, but was almost as big as she was! It turns out that the pig slept in the bed with her and the pig kept her up all night by kicking her in his sleep. My patient’s pig had periodic limb movements! My solution for her sleep problems: remove the pig from her bed!