How to get a better night's sleep explained – for kids and adults alike

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Summer days, summer haze … for many, there have been two months of unstructured time. Then there is the shock of Labour Day. How did it happen so soon? It is a hard landing for many.

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The next few weeks can be tough going for kids, parents and even teachers. PJs until noon get replaced with corduroys and backpacks. Back to school, back to being ruled by clocks, schedules, and making lunches. No more tumbling out of bed when you feel ready to take on the world.

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I spoke with Sudbury’s Tierney Gunthorpe, a physiotherapist and sleep apnea coach, about how all this affects us specifically in our sleep quality, if not just our sleep quantity. We need to know how to be better, survive, and even thrive during this transition.

Gunthorpe’s website, www.thesleepapneacoach.com, is a gateway to answers on many topics related to sleep. I asked her questions specifically about these next two weeks, as many change over into the routine and regularity of this period.

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Q: Labour Day and back to school seem to add extra stress to both parents and kids. How can we achieve good sleep patterns in these first weeks back?

A: Prepare for good sleep hygiene – start having a regular bedtime and wake time. Do not hit snooze when the alarm goes off. Dim the lights at nighttime so your body knows it is bedtime. Get outside with the sunrise. Stop eating food two or three hours before bed as every cell on your body is on a 24-hour cycle, and our digestive system is too, so eating during daylight hours is better.

Q: How long is a good guide for kids’ sleep duration?

A: Kids’ ranges depend on their ages. Toddlers: 11-14 hours. Preschoolers: 10-13 hours. Kids six-12 years old: nine-12 hours. Teenagers: eight-10 hours.

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Q: How can we encourage both quantity and quality refreshment?

A: The best way to encourage kids to sleep is by demonstrating and modelling the importance of sleep. Sleep helps our body heal at nighttime. For kids, sleep is very important for growing, brain development, mood stability. Children are more creative, able to concentrate longer, able to learn and retain information, (have) more energy throughout the day and have fewer or minimal behaviour issues. This can be said for adults, too.

A: So we better not binge on Netflix? I often read that adults should have seven to nine hours. Is that right?

Q. It isn’t just the hours that are important, but the quality of sleep. Once people have a good quality and quantity of sleep, everything else becomes easier, as every cell in your body is on a 24-hour cycle. You can lead better as you are more patient, empathetic, calm and able to make better decisions; able to problem solve more easily, have more energy, be more balanced mentally and physically. You will be more metabolically healthy, decrease risk of chronic diseases (such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and Alzheimer’s), and decrease risk of cancer.

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Steps to take for better sleep?

So, turn off the TV, get rid of any ticking clocks or other distractions, leave nightlights for the stairs and hallway, remove any blinking LEDs, put away the laptop and put that cell phone out of reach. Avoid bright light and screens, and consider drapes or curtains. Dark is best.

What other advice is there?

Maybe it is time to revisit how your bedroom is arranged. What about refreshing your bedding and pillows? How old is your mattress? Considering that we potentially spend a third of our lives in bed, we don’t give it all that much thought.

What about alcohol?

For adults, there is also the temptation to relax with a glass of Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Sauvignon, or a tumbler of Scotch once the kids have turned in. But Gunthorpe and so many others say avoiding alcohol before bed is a sound idea.

How to treat Sunday?

Also, treat. Sunday evening, not as an extension of the weekend but as a precursor to a successful work and school week. So turn in and tune out at a reasonable time. After a good night’s rest, get up at a set time, and you are ready to take on the world.

The Local Journalism Initiative is made possible through funding from the federal government.

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