Acclimating Back to a Regular Schedule and the Importance of Sleep Hygiene by Alyssa Melvin, MA, LPC
With summer coming to an end and the school year getting into full swing, you might be noticing that your kids or teens (or even you!) are having a difficult time acclimating back to a schedule. Unsurprisingly, the amount and quality of sleep we receive each night plays a crucial role in not only our level of alertness the following day, but also our ability to regulate our emotions and manage stress. Consistent sleep hygiene also helps our bodies navigate their environment, as well as function to their best abilities.
Have you ever noticed that you have trouble sleeping past your normal weekday “wake up time” on the weekends, even if you fight hard to and refrain from setting an alarm? This is due to your body’s circadian rhythm, which is our body’s natural sleep/wake cycle. Our body’s circadian rhythm responds to light changes in our environment, though can also be individually influenced through behaviors and routines. Research published through the National Library of Medicine has shown that our sleep/wake cycle plays a major role in influencing one’s hunger and fullness cues, and thus, eating habits and digestion process, as well as one’s body temperature, hormone regulation, and immune system. It’s no wonder we feel sluggish and crabby when we haven’t gotten enough and/or adequate sleep!
Clinicians have proposed a set of strategies to assist with improving one’s quantity and quality of sleep known as “sleep hygiene.” Here’s a few tips to get you and your family regulated for the school year:
Begin, and maintain, a bed-time routine
Be sure to keep this consistent and in the same order each night so that your brain begins to establish a pattern. For example: bath time, jammies, brush teeth, book, lights out, hug.
Repeat each night.
It might be helpful to start with a checklist for little ones until this becomes habitual. You can involve them by making a chart with fun stickers to press on after each task is completed. Who wouldn’t want Captain America or rainbow butterflies as a reward for doing something as terrible as brushing out your tangled after-bath hair?
Limit screen time and avoid use of electronics up to an hour before bed
I’m guilty myself of the mindless social media scroll before bed; however, research indicates that our brains and bodies have difficulty distinguishing our electronics’ light from light from the sun, resulting in prolonged wake time and disruption of the circadian rhythm. Prior to electricity, humans relied on the rise and fall of the sun for regulation, though this is incredibly difficult in a world where artificial light exists everywhere! Make it easier for your body to recognize cues for rest by refraining from use of your phone, tablet, or T.V. prior to trying to fall asleep.
Some kids might benefit from a timer system to remind them that screen time is up. My Alexa deserves a raise for all the chimes she sings each time she helps me parent.
Use your bed for sleep and ONLY sleep
Our brains, as amazing as they are, can associate places with responses. If your brain and body are accustomed to lying in bed and eating, or binge watching Netflix, or reading, or even WORRYING and ruminating on the day before or to come, it can then start to associate bed with overall “awakeness.” Then, when you’re ready to fall asleep and put the book down, your brain takes longer to shut off and prepare for rest.
As tedious as it might sound, find somewhere else to be awake. Read your book on the couch and get up when tired to fall asleep in your bed. Try to finish your bed time snack at the dinner table. Pick a specific space in the house to get homework done.
But keep your bed a sacred place for sleep and only sleep.
Have the right set-up
In relation to making your bed a sacred place for sleep, the environment of your sleep space can play a major role in your ability to both fall and stay asleep. It’s just as important to establish consistency with our sleep atmosphere as it is to establish a consistent bed time routine. Each of us has a different preference for the right “set up.” Some of us need complete darkness, utilizing blackout curtains. Some need silence, or a fan. Others might need thunderstorm sounds on full blast to drown out the sound of their husband’s mouth-breathing (ahem…)
Whatever your preference, and potentially your partner’s, establish your set-up and stick to it. This might even include the fabric of the sheets you use, or the firmness of your mattress. There’s nothing worse than that neck crank you get in the morning after sleeping on that hotel pillow that’s nothing like your perfect, floppy, broken-in one at home.
You can help your kids establish their own set-up by rearranging their rooms to their liking (of course, within reason) or letting them pick out a fluffy blanket patterned with their favorite character.
Meet your body’s needs
How often do you really listen to your body?
Pay attention to your body’s needs and meet them before bed.
Try not to go to bed hungry. Be sure to fuel your body appropriately throughout the day, as well as before bed, so it has the energy it needs to work hard even when you’re asleep! Even though we aren’t in conscious thought, our bodies and brains never shut off. So much growth and healing occurs when you’re sleeping. Make sure your “car” has enough “gas” to finish that overnight road trip.
Provide your body with appropriate levels of healthy and joyful movement. Don’t over exert yourself with a sweaty sprint around the block, but a leisurely family walk or evening play time at the park can be great forms of movement.
Go to bed when you’re tired.
Your body sends you signals for a reason! You can look for signals in your kids that they’re ready for sleep, too. Is your little one rubbing their eyes or yawning? Has their energy level decreased or increased? Believe it or not, some kids get hyperactive when tired, and this might be a sign that they are outside of a typical sleep window for their circadian rhythm.
Getting back into a routine is hard! Your body doesn’t ask for much; it sends you signals, but does a lot on its own. Help it out by improving your sleep hygiene and regulating your circadian rhythm. Establish and keep a routine that includes task repetition, limited screen time, consistent nutrition and hydration, joyful movement, and preferred environment. Remember, like any new thing, it will take time and conscious effort to make change. Be patient with your kids (and yourself!) as you navigate this process and reacclimate back to a schedule.
To learn more or connect with someone from our team please reach out to Lotus Therapy Group at 708-552-7330.
