The importance of sleep!
When we get enough sleep it helps us pay attention, solve problems better, be in a good mood and help our bodies be stronger so we can stay healthy.
At this difficult time, due to the worries because of the coronavirus outbreak, it is more important than ever to sleep well. Our immune system doesn’t work so well if we don’t sleep well, and we pick up bugs more easily, experience aches and pains. Emotionally we may feel more worried or get annoyed easily and lose our tempers more.
During the lockdown situation it is a great time to try out helpful sleep practices (see our top tips below) and get our sleep patterns back on track. Why not read through our sleep advice and set yourself some challenges for the following weeks to improve your sleep and experience the great benefits of sleeping well every night!
Why can't I sleep?
Sleep problems are very common amongst children, young people and adults too. This can be due to a lot of different things such as
- Worries about friends and family
- School work
- Moving to a new school
- Not getting enough time being active or fresh air
- Certain foods and drinks (see our sleepy food guide)
- Big meals before bedtime
- Our bedroom as it might be too noisy, too warm, too light or we might have too many devices in there which keep our brains awake (playstation, IPAD, phones, laptop, music, TV). These have a big impact on our night time sleep
- Being on our devices close to bedtime often stops us from falling asleep
- Download our Guide on How to Sleep Well
Top Sleep Tips!
- Try to run around and play 3 hours before bed time
- Spend some time outside after school
- Don’t have lots of food before bedtime (try a glass of milk or light snack)
- Do not drink fizzy drinks, energy drinks or coffee after lunchtime, but drink plenty of water
- Try to set a time to go to bed every night, so your body gets use to going to sleep then
- Turn off all devices one hour before going to bed
- Read a book or listen to calm music before you go to sleep
- Turn the light off (give it a try) and close the curtains. If it’s still too light ask your parent/carer if they can help make it darker
- Keep the room cool (opening a window a little bit might help)
When I get enough sleep I can...
- Listen and pay attention better
- Make good choices
- Solve problems easier
- Be in a good mood
- Come up with new ideas
- Get along with friends and family more
- Have more energy