Sleep
Did you know....
Sleep has a direct impact on our physical and mental development this includes both children and adults.
Sleep affects every aspect of our wellbeing.
Poor sleep ...
can leave us feeling moody and struggling to handle our emotions
can have us falling asleep at inappropriate times of the day
Practical Tips for Promoting Good Sleep in Children
Stick to a regular and consistent sleep routine (good advice for adults too).
Create a relaxing bedtime routine that ends in the room where the child sleeps.
Where possible, have your child sleep in the same room every night. A room that is cool, quiet and dark, and without a TV or tech is best.
Try to avoid watching TV or using tech close to bedtime. This can often cause children to have difficulty falling asleep, being anxious around sleep and lead to poor-quality sleep. Often children can refuse to go to bed/sleep because of the impact on screens.
Practical Tips for Promoting Good Sleep in Teenagers
The average teenager needs between 8 and 10 hours sleep every night. Follow the steps below to ensure that your teenager is getting enough sleep:
1. Although it can tempting for your teenager to stay up late and have a lie- in when there’s no school, stick to usual bedtime and wake-up time
2. Encourage your teenager to only use their bed for sleeping. If they usually sit on it to watch TV or to play on their tablet or games console, get them to use a chair instead.
3. Encourage the whole family to exercise during the day
4. Encourage your teenager not to use screens (tablets, phones, TVs and games consoles) for the hour before they go to bed.
5. Avoid sugar and caffeine (sweets, chocolate, fizzy drinks, tea and coffee) in the evening.
6. Stick to a routine throughout the day to avoid your teenager napping out of boredom.
Family Learning
This information is adapted from the Sleep course run by the Family Learning Team, Aberdeen City Council. If you are interested in attending a Sleep course please email the team on familylearning@aberdeencity.gov.uk or find them on Facebook @FamilyLearningAberdeen.
How to Get Enough Sleep for Your Age. People usually think that 7–8 hours of sleep is enough, but that's not always the case. In fact, the number of hours you need to enjoy proper sleep depends and stay healthy depends on your age.