Helping Your Family Get the Sleep They Need

We need sleep to function and so do your kids, however sleep is becoming more challenging in this generation than it ever has been before.

From our own observations within our work in the field, we see sleep becoming more and more of an issue in both parents and their children. There are a lot of pressures in today's world. We as adults are dealing with a special set of challenges that former generations have not had to face and our kids are facing an unknown world that we as adults have very little understanding.

There are more cases of learning issues, insomnia and anxiety in kids than ever before. If your family isn't getting the sleep they need, it can wreak havoc on everyone's life. It's like a domino effect, especially within the family unit.

Some kids we've worked with were getting four or five hours of sleep regularly every night. Especially kids that have cell phones or other electronics that they are really attached to. It's really difficult for them to have the self-control to put them down.

So, how can you get your family on track?

There are a few things you need to understand first.

Sleep cannot be something you expect your body to just do at the end of a long day. There is a lot of tension being held in our bodies throughout the day. Our bodies are craving release of that tension, which will essentially be one factor that aides in a better, deeper sleep.

We need to take breaks within the day to check in with our bodies and keep in mind that we need to stretch or meditate or do something calming throughout the day, not just at night.

Obviously, shutting off electronics earlier in the evening is key.

Another good tip we've learned over the years is that if you are having a bout of insomnia, don't spend the entire night in bed attempting to sleep, getting frustrated.

Get up. Yes, get up. Read a book if you can. Reading something or even watching a TV show that you've seen before (yes, this is tech, but it's better than the others) works well.

The worst thing you can do when you can't sleep is to panic and keep trying so hard to sleep. Maybe get up and do some stretches.

Doing stretches on the floor before sleep is an excellent way to wind the body down. Holding different stretches for 30 to 45 seconds each, along with deep breaths, helps a lot.

Essential oils can help calm the body as well as dimmer lighting for hours before bed.

Magnesium can also be a key support before bed as it works to relax muscles and provide a deeper level of sleep.

A warm non-caffeinated drink before bed can provide warmth and be very soothing, as well as a nice bath.

Think about cozy and comforting things before bed but start hours before your actual bedtime and think this way for your children as well.

If your kids are school-aged, then look at their arrival home from school as the beginning of their wind-down time, hours of getting ready for bed.

Control the atmosphere in your home, put on calming music, dim the lights, look at this as calming time.

Just remember this concept for your entire family when it comes to sleep...

You absolutely need to wind your body down throughout the entire day in order to sleep properly.