Sleep Hygiene

Having good sleep hygiene can help us settle and stay asleep.

Research has shown that getting an adequate amount of sleep has an impact on young people’s attention, regulation, memory, learning and, overall mental and physical health. Many of the students at AHSC report feeling tired during their school day due to sleep difficulties and this often has an impact on their regulation, level of alertness and performance. This is sometimes caused by bad sleep habits reinforced over the years. It is therefore important to help them understand the importance of sleep and the need to develop good sleep hygiene. Sleep enables our body and brain to repair, restore and reenergise. Please see below the recommended amount of sleep for your child according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) (2016).

Sleep hygiene tips:

• Try to go to bed at a regular time each day (including the weekends)

• Try not to eat too much before going to bed and leave at least an hour before going to bed to digest your food

• Don’t drink drinks with caffeine in the afternoons and evenings (e.g. cola drinks)

• Have a warm bath or shower before going to bed to relax you

• Use blackouts curtains to get the room dark

• Try not using a phone or screens at least one hour before bedtime

• Use blue filter apps when using screens in the evening as it helps to reduce the blue light coming from them since they have an alerting effect on our nervous system

• Listen to calming or meditative music before going to bed if this helps you to relax

• Ensure that the room is clutter free

• Remember to go to the toilet before going to bed

Ms Celia Guimaraes