Health & Wellbeing

Sleep Health

Things you should know:

• Most sleep problems in children are linked with difficult behaviour around bedtime.
• Children can have had these problems from a young age, or they can start after going on holiday, moving house, being sick, family upsets, going to hospital, or starting school.
• These problems in children can disturb the sleep of parents and children. It will mean that they don't function as well during the day.
• Parents can solve these problems. There are behaviours that their children can learn.

What are some common behavioural sleep problems in children?

The most common issues are:

• not getting into bed;
• not settling into sleep;
• not staying in their own bed;
• waking up at night;
• getting up in the morning and/or
• not getting enough sleep.Why is sleep so important?

Sleep is vital for children’s and adolescents’ wellbeing. Sleep supports healthy development of the body and mind. Evidence shows that children and adolescents who do not get enough sleep have more trouble learning. They are less attentive and motivated, have poor problem-solving, more confusion, increased irritability, reduced memory, impaired communication, slower processing of information, poorer judgement, diminished reaction times and more indifference. Lack of sleep can also lead to behaviour mood issues, impacting negatively upon relationships, empathy and leading to mental health difficulties such as anxiety and depressed mood. In Australia, the number of children and adolescents who are sleep-deprived is rapidly growing due to our lifestyle behaviours.

Why aren’t children and adolescents getting enough sleep?

Technology use is on the increase with online social interactions replacing real world ones. For this reason, it is often difficult to get children and adolescents off their devices. In Australia, 25% of children aged 7-8 years report using mobile phones between 10pm and 6am – and this figure increases to 83% of children by age 17. (1) This late-night technology use is contributing to later sleep times and reduced quality of sleep. Children and adolescents commonly report going to sleep later and having interrupted sleep patterns because they reply to friends’ texts during the night.

Technology use can lead to poor sleep in a number of ways:

• Body clocks (2) are sensitive to the blue light that backlit devices like phones and tablets emit. This light tricks our body clocks into thinking it is still daytime and this reduces the amount of melatonin, our sleep hormone that is released near bedtime. So, device use near bedtime can make it harder to get to sleep.
• Using devices to play games or communicate with friends increases mental stimulation, making it difficult to wind down around bedtime or to get back to sleep when sleep is interrupted during the night. Negative online social interactions can also contribute to feelings of anxiety (3) and worry 1 which can make it harder to sleep.

How much sleep do children and adolescents need?

As with adults, every child is different in terms of how much sleep they need. The amount of sleep your child needs also changes as they age. 4 Children aged 6-13 years should ideally be sleeping for 9-11 hours, although anywhere from 7-12 hours may be appropriate for some children. Teenagers aged 14-17 years should ideally be sleeping for 8-10 hours, although anywhere from 7-11 hours may be appropriate for some teenagers. (4)

What are some signs that your child or adolescent isn't getting enough sleep, perhaps through overusing technology?

• Depressed mood,(5) irritability during offline social interactions
• Hyperactivity at school (6)
• Reluctance/arguing about getting off phones/devices and going to bed (7)
• Reduced academic performance
• Changes to communicating/social interacting at home and/or school
• Falling asleep during the day
• Difficulties waking up for school and sleeping in late on weekends to ‘catch up’ (8)
• Getting to school late or missing school days

How can I encourage safe, healthy technology use to improve my child’s sleep & wellbeing?

Putting in place some guidelines surrounding technology use at night is advisable and these guidelines might differ depending on the age of your child or adolescent. Children and adolescents need help with regulating their behaviour and understanding the harmful effects of disturbed sleep.

• Ideally, no mobile devices should be allowed in the bedroom. Why? Although it’s sometimes unavoidable to have devices like laptops in the bedroom, the bedroom should ideally be preserved for sleeping only so that it is perceived by the brain as a calm place - this helps children and young people to switch off and feel sleepy. Children and adolescents very commonly report using their phones after initially turning the lights out, even if there are rules in place about device use. Children and adolescents also report going and collecting their mobile devices after parents have gone to bed, even when everyone has agreed to leave them outside of bedrooms. Educating children about the harmful effects of disturbed sleep can be helpful for ensuring rules about device use are adhered to. Given many children and adolescents use their phone’s alarm to wake up in the morning, a simple strategy of replacing phones with an alarm clock may make removing devices from the bedroom more practical.
• Establish a nightly ‘wind down’ routine with your child or adolescent. Why? Having a nightly routine in the lead-up to bedtime can help children and adolescents unwind and cues their brains into knowing that it’s nearly time to sleep. As part of this wind down routine, create a calm environment and replace device usage in the hour before bed with a relaxing routine. This can help to reduce stress and anxiety, making it easier to feel sleepy.
  Limit exposure to bright light Why? Children and adolescents body clocks are sensitive to light, in particular blue light, reducing the amount of ‘sleep hormones’ that are released around bedtime. Lower the brightness on devices in the evening hours and use applications that block out blue light on phones and tablets if your child is going to be using a device.
• Model good behaviours Why? It is much easier to change your child’s behaviour if a group approach is taken. Children and adolescents learn by observing the behaviour of others (parents, siblings) - model healthy sleep and technology use behaviours and make it a family effort by involving siblings.

Things you should know:

• Establish a regular sleep pattern.
• A consistent bedtime routine.
• Make sure the bedroom is comfortable.
• Bed is for sleeping, not entertainment.
• Some foods can disturb sleep.
• Caffeine is a stimulant.
• Take care with daytime naps.
• Exercise and time outside.
• Work with your doctor.

Establish a regular sleep pattern.

Regular hours of sleep are important. It will help your child understand when it is time to sleep.  Also, your child will have better sleep. Bedtime shouldn't vary by more than an hour across all days of the week - whether your child has an early start the next morning or not. The same goes for getting up time.

A consistent bedtime routine

It is good to have the same routine before bed each night. This will help prepare for sleep. Quiet activities are good, such as reading a book or being read to or having a bath or shower. In the half hour before bed, there are some things you don't want your child to do. These are more active games, playing outside, TV, internet or mobile phone social networking and computer games.

Make sure the bedroom is comfortable.

The bedroom should be quiet, comfortable and dark. Some children like a night light. This is fine. Make sure your child sees the bedroom as a good place to be. You can help do this by not using it as a place for punishment.

Bed is for sleeping, not entertainment.

TV, computers, mobile phones and other things that distract your child are not good for their sleep. Keep them out of the bedroom. “Needing” to watch a screen to fall asleep is a bad habit. This can easily develop, but you don't want it to happen. It’s also better if you can check on what your child is watching.

Some foods can disturb sleep

A high intake of sugary or fatty foods has been linked with more restless sleep. Avoid sugary or high fat snacks before bedtime, as well as large meals. A small healthy savoury snack before bed would be fine.

Caffeine is a stimulant

Caffeine is found in many popular drinks. These include coffee, tea, cola soft drinks and some chocolate products. It can make it harder to get to sleep. Your child should have as little of these as possible, and certainly not after lunchtime.

Take care with daytime naps

It is normal for young children to nap during the day. As your child gets older, they will need less sleep. This means they will need to nap less. The number and length of naps depends on your child. If your child naps after 4pm (except for the very young) it can be harder to get to sleep at night.

Exercise and time outside

Daily exercise is an important part of healthy living. It also promotes good sleep. Time spent in bright daylight does the same. Outdoor exercise achieves both these things. However, it is best to steer clear of vigorous activity in the hour before sleep.

Work with your doctor

If your child is sick or isn't comfortable, their sleep will suffer. Some children suffer from specific sleep problems such as frequent nightmares, snoring or sleep apnoea.  It is important that these problems are dealt with. If you think ill health is involved, discuss this with your family doctor.

Mental Health changes over time in response to different stresses and experiences. There are many factors, both internal and external, that affect where someone generally sits on the mental health continuum, and also where they sit at any given point in time. 

Remember to reach out to your support networks if unexpected thoughts or feelings arise. Professional support is always available when you need it. 

NDIS Funding 

The NDIS provides funding to eligible people with disability to gain more time with family and friends, greater independence, access to new skills, jobs, or volunteering in their community, and an improved quality of life. 

The NDIS also connects anyone with a disability to services in their community.

This includes connections to doctors, community groups, sporting clubs, support groups, libraries and schools, as well as providing information about what support is provided by each state and territory government.

The NDIS now supports over 500,000 Australians with disability to access the services and support they need.

This includes supporting approximately 80,000 children with developmental delay, ensuring they receive support early so that they achieve the best outcomes throughout their lives. 

How to apply for NDIS Funding 

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