 Tears, meltdowns, clinginess…and that’s just the parents! Jokes aside this is a really tough time for lots of little ones. There is a million things you can do but one basic one that gets frequently missed is sleep. Super basic and incredibly important for our ability to emotionally regulate. Any sleep deprived parent will be able to tell of heightened emotions of some sort. Our little ones are absolutely no different. The only difference is they don’t have the maturity to know that one influences the other…plenty of time to work that out! to edit. A number of studies have linked a lack of sleep to anxiety and mood disorders. As science discovers more we have explanations for so many things- sleep loss and irritablilty, teariness, inability to control anger, depression…the list goes on. Some of it is chicken and egg stuff but a good night’s sleep will help regardless. Here’s a basic idea of how much sleep kids need: Age Recommend hours of sleep 2-5 years 10-13 hours 6-13 years 9-11 hours 14-17 years 8-10 hours That is a LOT of sleep! If your 5 year old goes to bed at 8pm then the earliest they should wake is 6 or 7am. Your 8 year old for example, goes to bed at 8.30am and they will be waking at around 6.30am. Don’t forget to account for time to get to sleep. Not all kids fall asleep as soon as their head hits the pillow. I know I’m not the only one with kids that go to the loo 4 times after getting into bed and get up for at least one drink! That can go on for more than an hour… I’m not telling you this to make you feel guilty. I ask my clients to ditch the mother guilt at the door. This is about knowledge because once we know we can do something about it. Lots of these tips apply to parents as well so pay attention- sleep can become a family project! Sweet slumber tips:
Weirdly, sleep begets sleep. That is the more good quality sleep you have the more you will get. And lots of sleep helps our wee ones regulate their emotions that much better…I’m not going to guarantee no tears but giving your kids the best opportunity to sleep you possibly can is giving them a stable base for the day. References https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/child-sleep-zzzs/201805/how-much-sleep-are-children-getting https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/related-illnesses/sleep-disorders https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/sleep-and-mental-health http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/need-sleep/whats-in-it-for-you/mood https://psychcentral.com/news/2013/06/27/sleep-loss-increases-anxiety-especially-among-worriers/56531.html https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/files/pdfs/Sleep-Needs-Across-Lifespan.pdf Disclaimer: Homeopathy is a traditional medicine.The TGA considers Homeopathy a low risk medicine. It may be used in conjunction with other medicines. For any ongoing chronic condition, it is important to be assessed or examined by your healthcare professional or specialist.
Information given here is in no way intended to take the place of advice from your chosen healthcare professional or specialist. Any examples given from the authors life do not indicate that the remedy in question will work for everyone in every instance. They are used solely to illustrate the use the medicine in a practical situation. Information is generally in nature and nothing said on this website is intended as a diagnosis and should not be taken as such. Always seek medical advice in emergencies.
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The all elusive good night's sleep! It's not a one trick wonder but often something we need to work at. Sleep hygeine is such a weird term but basically like a clean house it's a constant effort. You can't clean it once and it stays that way (at least not in my house). It is, however, essential to sleep initiation aka getting to sleep!  How to clean it up!
 I wouldn't be doing my job is I didn't mention at least one homeopathic! For trouble getting to sleep Coffea has been traditionally used. If you think of the buzz coffee gives you this is the kind of sleepless you are. More used for sleep initiation than waking in the middle of the night it is the constant thoughts of the day turning round, the slightly energised feel that something else needs to be done, an inability to settle...coffee is a social drug after all! So much to be done but remember that even with all these things in place there may be other reasons why sleep is still elusive. Hormones, thyroid, stress, anxiety and/or depression can all cause sleep disturbance amongst other things so please get it checked out! Disclaimer: Homeopathy is a traditional medicine.The TGA considers Homeopathy a low risk medicine. It may be used in conjunction with other medicines. For any ongoing chronic condition, it is important to be assessed or examined by your healthcare professional or specialist.
Information given here is in no way intended to take the place of advice from your chosen healthcare professional or specialist. Any examples given from the authors life do not indicate that the remedy in question will work for everyone in every instance. They are used solely to illustrate the use the medicine in a practical situation. Information is generally in nature and nothing said on this website is intended as a diagnosis and should not be taken as such. Always seek medical advice in emergencies.  This has got to be the number one thing that pops up in the clinic regardless of what they come in for. I rarely get someone say 'I sleep really well! Solid 8hrs every night- wake feeling great!'. It's an elusive dream for most. I can't give you a miracle cure but I can share a tip that I recently came across. Gelatin. Hang in there! Let me explain. Gelatin contains lots of amino acids that make up proteins. Some our bodies can make, some it can't. Glycine is made by our bodies but that doesn't mean we can't give it a boost when times are tough. Amongst a host of uses, glycine increases seratonin which is one of those lovely hormones that regulates sleep and mood.  Like all the whacky stuff I suggest to clients, I trial it on myself. Some works, some...let's just say I don't pass on everything I try! But so far this one is a keeper! Not only is it relatively cheap and ridiculously easy, there are a host of other reasons to eat gelatin. It's great for the gut! It soothes inflammation and seals the gut. It's a great source of protein and all those amino acids can go toward repairing muscle, tendon, ligament and cartilage damage. There's research to show it helps build lean muscle and supports the liver. You can't loose! Here's the detail. The research uses 3g of glycine which is roughly 15g of gelatin. Try and source an organic, grass fed gelatin to avoid anything extra that may leach out of the bones or cartilage during the making of the gelatin. The down side is...it's rather a lot of gelatin you need to consume before bed. About one hour before bed stir about 1.5-2 tablespoons of gelatin into hot tea. That gives you approximately the 3g of glycine you need. A nice sleepy time or chamomile tea is lovely. It does have a slight earthy flavour be warned! And don't let it go cold or you'll be eating sleepy jelly. Other than that....Eat, drink, sleep...Good night!  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1440-1819.2010.02181.x
https://aminoacidsguide.com/ https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1479-8425.2007.00262.x |
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