Wellbeing & Culture

Sleep and Wellbeing 

School holidays can be a great opportunity to catch up on rest, sleep in, find quality rest and relax family time. In a relaxed state of school holidays, some can gain the rest they need, while others might fall into some poor sleep and bedtime habits. 

As our next term, is one of our busiest and longest, I want to encourage families this holiday to: 

1. Get the much earned and needed rest they deserve while; 
2. Continuing or setting up a healthy stable bedtime routine and schedule that sets us up for a successful term 4!

When we don’t get enough sleep there is the risk of: 

• Emotional outbursts 
• Overeating
• Craving more sugary/ fatty foods 
• Lack of focus 
• Shorter tolerance
• Mood drops
• Risky behaviours 
• Weaker immune system
• Weaker physical strength and energy
• And more stuff that isn’t good for anyone. 

A good bedtime routine is key for keeping a strong holistic wellbeing. It is recommended that our students get between 9-12 hours of sleep each night. 

It is recommended that children have the same bedtime routine on weekends (and during holidays) to make it easier on those often-rough early term Monday mornings. It is also recommended that if your child is struggling to sleep, you limit items in a bedroom, and start with any devices, but even toys can be a massive distraction from sleep if the child is visual. Most of the time, the more boring a bedroom is, the easier it will be for children to fall asleep. 

It is common to struggle with sleep, whether it is sticking to the bedtime routine, ensuring that when the kids are put to bed they stay in bed, or trying to balance all the business of life and making it home and having dinner early enough to settle everyone down. But effort put into keeping a good sleep happen, is well rewarded. There is a massive difference in behaviours, energy and emotions when everyone gets a good night’s rest. 

Learn more here: https://hw.qld.gov.au/blog/the-power-of-zzzs-why-sleep-is-a-valuable-part-of-childrens-wellbeing/ 

Cheyenne Yates – On Behalf of the Wellbeing & Culture Team