Today I am going to chat a bit about sleep hygiene. Sleep whaaat?
No this is not about fresh pyjamas, and clean teeth….though those are certainly beneficial aspects to your bedtime routine
(CLICK Here to download my FREE bedtime routines guide)
If you are like Most Mama’s that I work with, you are tired! Fearful of starting bad habits, and anxious get your child sleeping better.
You also want something QUICK so that you can get some much needed rest – like right meow!
Sleep hygiene is the fancy, technical word I have been taught to call quick wins!
Read….Quick and easy sleep tips!
Better sleep doesn’t have to be complicated. A lot of this stuff is common sense, but somehow life with kids rids us of our common sense (#mommybrain)
We sometimes forget the little things. But these little things can add up, and make a world of difference.
Let’s get them working in your favor!
These are my top 3 Quick Wins
3) Get moving!
We all know that exercise is important. Problem is, the chaos of our everyday lives does not leave enough time for most families to meet the daily recommended exercise requirements.
According to the Canadian 24 Hour Movement Guidelines, children between the ages of 1 and 4 should spend – at least – 180 minutes moving! We want this physical activity to be spaced throughout the day. For children 3-4, we want some of this to be “energetic play”
I haven’t yet met a kid who had too much exercise!
Though, it is not just about exercise. We don’t neeeeed to be in perpetual motion. (Though calories burned does help us build our sleep pressure)
Source: https://csepguidelines.ca/
My second tip, builds on the previous. {I am already preparing for the eye rolling…But here goes nothing}
2) Ditch the Screens. Or at least limit them to no more than an hour a day (less is better). This includes television, phones, tablets, etc.
There are a couple reasons for this. It mostly comes down to the fact that we don’t want our kids to be spending too much time sitting. Ideally, kids should avoid spending more than an hour at a time sitting. This includes being in a stroller, car seat, and screen time.
The best sedentary activities are learning activities, like reading, and art work which utilizes concentration and fine motor skills.
Screens can also hinder sleep because of the light they emit. This is especially problematic in the evenings.
When it comes to my twins, I find that TV turns them into little tele-loving zombies, and all too often I “miss” that sleepy window because they are quiet. Turn that TV off and the rambunctious munchkins return! Problem is, it’s then suuuuuuper difficult to get those hyper monkeys into bed!
My number one quick tip
1) Spend loads of time outdoors!
The outdoors is so beneficial for our circadian rhythms. See our internal clock can get a bit outta whack because it is slightly longer than the earth’s 24 hour cycle.
The sun basically helps to regulate us and keep things in check.
You know how electronics and routers sometimes start to act a bit persnickety and need to be reset sometimes?
The sun is our refresh. It resets us
Without this our biological rhythm shifts forward.
Meaning bedtimes get later!
In theory, you might think that this means mornings will shift too. And they might! But I find shifting bedtimes can also lead to dreadfully early mornings.
So it’s important to get your timings right.
See….The sun is good for vitamin D, sleep, mood and so much more!
The sun also helps us to collect all the building blocks needed for the release of Melatonin come evening time. Melatonin is our sleepy hormone, and we want it working in our favor.
For another quick Melatonin tip, check out the video above! where I talk about the role of the sun on sleep 😉
Sleep well Mama,
~ Maisie Zzz
