My son, since his long-term concussion, has had trouble sleeping at a normal time. He has to wake up at 6:30 am to get to high school on time. As a result, there are days like yesterday, when he was running on no sleep and falling asleep in class. We are working on his sleep habits, but it has not been easy.
A good night’s sleep makes a world of difference in his mood, interactions, performance, health, and overall functioning as a human being. Some say operating on less than five hours of sleep is the same as if you were functioning at a blood alcohol level of .05%. Eight to nine hours of sleep a night can give you enough energy that is equivalent to two cups of coffee the next day.
Here are six ways you can get better quality sleep starting now.
1. Your Bed is for Sleeping
First and foremost, your bed is for sleeping. Of all the space in your house, you want your bed to be the place you go to get a deep, relaxing sleep. So, make it as comfortable as possible.
One of the most important keys to good sleep is comfort, which starts with having quality pillows and a mattress. There are a ton of mattress options on the market today, including the online brand, Purple. If you’re wondering, “Is there a Purple mattress near me?” you’re in luck. Even though Purple is an online brand, you can actually try out its mattresses in Sleepare stores.
2. You Need to Find the Pattern in your Sleep
It may take some effort, but eventually, you will find a bedtime that works for you if you are having trouble. Be consistent and go to bed at the same time every night, and set an alarm for the same time to wake up. Eventually, you should be able to awake when you want without an alarm. However, if you sleep later than you had wished and needed the alarm, try going to bed earlier the next night. It takes a while for the body to adjust, and for you to find the sweet spot.
3. Don’t Sleep In
It’s very tempting to sleep in — especially on the weekends. But while you are getting your body into a pattern of sleep, it can be very counterproductive to sleep in. Do your best to always get up at your normal time in the morning and then supplement that with a short nap later on if you just can’t make it through the day. If that’s still not enough, consider that maybe you are not going to bed early enough.
If you are napping on the weekend, consider it you might be taking naps out of boredom. A lot of people tend to do this, especially on the weekend. If you realize you’re just taking a nap because it’s the weekend and you can, try lying down for a few minutes but don’t actually fall asleep. Taking naps during the day can cause problems in your sleep cycle, so aim to just rest during the day, not sleep. To break a cycle, sleep aids might help.
4. A Few Things You Should Not Do Before Bed
You should not have alcohol, nicotine, a heavy meal, or caffeine before bedtime. They all lead to poor sleeping habits, and overall, a less desirable relationship to sleep. It is important to not exercise right before bed for some people. All the endorphins released from exercising will keep you feeling good and inhibit the signals your brain is sending telling you to sleep. This may or may not be an issue for you.
Also, about one to two hours before you go to bed, it’s time to quit using computers, phones, and tablets because of the blue light they emit. That blue light keeps your brain stimulated and makes it difficult to fall asleep as quickly once you stop using the device. However, there are blue light filters on many phones and other options that can help reduce this issue. Instead of screen time before bed, try reading a traditional book. For kids, make it rule to stop their screen time a couple of hours prior to bedtime, too.
5. Light and Dark
The circadian rhythm, which is an internal process that helps regulate our sleep-wake cycle, is extremely complicated and has many layers and functions. One thing, however, that is known about it is that it helps control the light/dark aspect of life. For example, if we are outside and being exposed to the sun and all of its properties, our circadian rhythm registers that as daytime. If we stay closed up in a dark house, our circadian rhythm will associate the darkness with night. So, simply put: At nighttime, we must keep our rooms dark for our bodies to register it as nighttime.
My experience with my two children who have had long-term concussions is that it messes with their sleep cycle long after their headaches have disappeared. It’s a struggle to turning night owls into early birds, but being chronically sleep deprived is worse.
How about you? Do you have night owl children too? What worked for you? Thanks so much for sharing!
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p.s. More parenting posts:
Parenting: Natural Consequences for Kids
Go The F**k to Sleep: Two Takes on Parenting
Dorm Room Essentials & My Daughter’s Move In
BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 is a book that I created to highlight books written by authors who share the same marginalized identity as the characters in their books.