Senior Years and Wellbeing

Wellbeing

In talking with students and parents over the remote learning period, a concern that many have raised is that their sleep patterns are not healthy or consistent. This could be due to many different factors, a change to our normal routines, stress and anxiety surrounding COVID-19 or a change to exercise and physical activity behaviours.

The table below outlines the recommended guidelines for sleep for children, teenagers and young adults. Young people need quality sleep to help with healthy growth and development. Quality sleep is also strongly linked to stronger, more positive mental health outcomes too.

Tips for a good night’s sleep:

Try and stick to a sleep schedule, going to bed and waking up at a similar time every day.
An hour before bed, limit screen time including social media and gaming.
Create a night time routine, this will let your body know it’s wind down time. This could include a warm shower or bath, reading a book or dimming the lights.
Avoid exercise close to your usual bedtime, this will stimulate and wake your body up. Aim for at least 1 hour of exercise during the day so that you are burning energy.
Keep light and noise to a minimum in your bedroom. 18-20 degrees is the optimum room temperature for sleeping.
Seek natural light after waking in the morning
Try meditation or breathing exercises to unwind at night time
Don’t have caffeine after 6pm, this includes tea, coffee and energy drinks.

An important point to note is that it can take 2-3 weeks of using the tips above to notice a difference to sleep patterns. If you are concerned about persistent, unhealthy sleep patterns, a GP/ doctor appointment is recommended for young people to discuss suitable support.

Source: Headspace (2019). Sleep and Young People: Putting the myths to rest.

https://headspace.org.au/assets/download-cards/HSP032-MythBuster-Sleep-and-Young-People-RGB-FA04.pdf

Kate Couchman