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Sleep advice and useful information

If your child or young person is struggling to sleep it can be exhausting for them and for the whole family. More than half of all children may have difficulties settling or sleeping at some point in childhood. Children with additional needs and learning disabilities can be more likely to experience sleep difficulties.

Everyone needs sleep. And lots of important processes take place whilst we’re sleeping. A lack of sleep can affect our wellbeing and can cause depression, anxiety and difficulties regulating our emotions.

Common difficulties can include:

If you would like further support contact our SPA (single point of access):

Please take a look at the links below for further information and support and advice on specific areas of sleep issues.

Further information, support and advice on specific areas of sleep issues:

Sleep allows our bodies to carry out functions that are vital for our physical and mental wellbeing, leading to a whole range of benefits… 

Cell growth and repair
during sleep, new cells grow and existing cells are repaired, keeping us healthy, and our immune system strong 

Memory
while we sleep our brains move short-term memories into long-term storage, especially important for young minds learning about the world or studying for exams 

Relaxation
sleep gives us respite from the information overload of the day 

Healthy eating
good sleep balances production of the hormones leptin and ghrelin, which help us to follow a healthy diet rather than craving more carbs 

Concentration
healthy sleep helps us to function better during the day, driving more safely, working and studying more effectively, getting more out of the activities we enjoy 

Good mood
after a good night’s sleep we usually feel happier, and more able to deal with the issues life throws at us 

Social interaction
feeling rested helps us to keep an eye on our actions, taking fewer risks, reacting appropriately to other people, enjoying others’ company 

Energy
a good sleep pattern means we have the energy to get the most out of the time when we’re awake 

For children and young people, this means: 

  • Healthy growth
  • Positive mood and sociability
  • Better mental health
  • Doing better at school
  • Enjoying life
  • Improved immunity and better recovery from illness
  • Healthy weight

 

Children can struggle to communicate their feelings of anxiety and instead may present with changes in behaviour, such as aggression, self-injury, withdrawal, crying, disturbed sleep patterns, or screaming.

Talk to your child to try and understand their anxiety or worries. With older children, try talking to them without any pressure, perhaps during mealtimes, whilst walking or during an activity like arts and crafts. It can be easier for them to talk when there is another focus.

Use visual aids, Pecs (Picture exchange communication system) or the communication aid of your child/young person choice.

Provide a calm and consistent bedtime routine for reassurance and predictability. Create a comfortable sleeping space and peaceful environment. Support them to learn how to self soothe by trying muscle relaxation, mindfulness, or something like worry bags, worry boxes or worry dolls.

Visit the Sleep Anxiety: Tips To Manage Anxiety And Improve Sleep – The Sleep Charity   and CFHD link to MH page further information.

Anxiety in children – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Anxiety – Cerebra

Information & Support – The Sleep Charity

Sleep and mental health – Mind

sleep difficulties in children and young people with additional health needs and learning disabilities can be more common and complex.

This can range from finding it hard to get to sleep and waking up a lot at night to irregular sleep patterns and waking early in the morning.

What are the reasons?

There can be several reasons for sleep issues such as:

  • physical reasons such as night-time wetting
  • reduced mobility meaning your child may not able to turn and reposition themselves without support
  • skin conditions causing itching and discomfort at night
  • epilepsy and night-time seizures or seizures on waking
  • autism or communication issues that can make changes to bedtime routines difficult (it is ok to change bedtime routines for autistic children, it just may take additional time and require extra support)
  • hyperactive or attention conditions that may make it difficult to settle or move between daytime and night-time routines
  • poor memory skills could mean a child has not learnt to sleep in their own bed
  • those who have had a lot of hospital stays may have disrupted sleep patterns.

For more information on supporting children with an additional need and sleep issue please contact The children Learning Disability service via SPA

    • Phone: 0330 0245 321

 

Here is some useful information you can download and read at home.

Visit the  Sleep Advice Service – Cerebra  and  Children with SEND – The Sleep Charity and   Home – Sleep Action

 

If your child or young person is experiencing sleep difficulties, we would recommend using a sleep diary for at least 2 weeks.

A sleep diary can be helpful in establishing if there’s any pattern with your children’s sleep issue. For instance, it might identify if there’s difficulty going to sleep on a Sunday night because of anxiety about school.

As a parent it can give you something proactive to do especially if you think your child has a sleep issue and there are no available appointments or support. It can be a good way of recording data and having information to hand should you need to present to a GP or health professional.

Please download using the link below

Detailed-Sleep-Diary-1.pdf (sleepaction.org)

Easy read sleep diary

 

A balanced diet is necessary for a child’s growth, development and sleep.

Some foods can help with sleep and others can prevent it.

Helpful foods for sleep 

  • Breastfeeding/milk is a perfect bedtime drink.
  • Offering foods that contain a sleep-inducing natural substance called tryptophan can help. High tryptophan foods include nuts* seeds, tofu, cheese, eggs, milk, red meat, chicken, turkey, fish, oats, beans, lentils, grains such as oats, rice, barley wheat, corn, fruit such as apples, bananas, peaches, avocado, and vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, turnip greens, asparagus, onions and seaweed.
  • Magnesium can help with sleep. Children do not need any special magnesium supplements because there is enough in their food. Foods such as sugar free cereals, wholemeal bread, brown rice, spinach, quinoa, nuts*, black beans, tofu, avocados all have plenty of magnesium. *Whole nuts can be a choking hazard so do not give them to children under 5.

Unhelpful foods for sleep  

  • Food that has a lot of fat in it, such as biscuits, cheese, and crisps for example, can make it more difficult to sleep because they can be more difficult for the stomach to digest and sometimes cause a build-up of stomach acid which is uncomfortable.
  •  Also, foods that have a lot of protein in, such as yoghurt or cheese, eggs and meat, can make it more difficult to sleep because it takes some time for them to pass through the stomach.

 

For further information

How to get a good night’s sleep – Sleep Action

Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking can happen in up to a third of children at some point. They usually grow out of it by adolescence. It is safe to wake a child when they are sleepwalking. If you have a child who sleepwalks, safety is really important so think about safety gates and locks on windows. Visit  Sleepwalking – The Sleep Charity

Nightmares 

About three quarters of children have nightmares, with 40% having them on a regular basis. They often start in early childhood with a frightening event or experience.

Anxiety can also increase nightmares due to higher levels of cortisol in the body when going to sleep. Children experiencing nightmares often need comforting and reassurance during the night. Talking about any worries or anxieties during the day, but not too close to bedtime, may bring cortisol levels down and avoid nightmares occurring.

A calm and consistent bedtime routine may also help. Nightmares are different from night terrors. Visit   Night Terrors and Nightmares – The Sleep Charity  for more information.

Night terrors 

Night terrors are less common than nightmares and only affect about 3% of the whole population. They don’t have any long-term effects and aren’t remembered the following morning.

Night terrors can be very distressing to see. If your child has a night terror, they may appear terrified, confused, shaky, they may be thrashing around, sweaty and have an increased heart rate.

If your child is having a night terror, make sure they are safe in their surroundings and support them back into bed. Although there isn’t a way to prevent night terrors from happening, simple strategies can be put in place to help.

These include:

  • having a good bedtime routine
  • talking about worries or anxieties during the day but not too close to bedtime
  • avoiding any caffeine or sugar in the evening.

Visit the How to get a good night’s sleep – Sleep Action for further information.

 

  • Changes that occur during puberty can disrupt a teenager’s body clock and cause it to shift.
  • During adolescence the body clock can shift around 2 hours later, and this can last until their early 20s.
  • This means that adolescents are likely to be more active in the evening and go to bed later.
  • Because of this, teenagers may find it hard to settle at night and get up in the morning.
  • Some teenagers find this shift to their body clock can be very disrupted. Speak to your health care professional for advice on this.
  • This is going to sleep very late at night or in the early hours of the morning and getting up in the late afternoon.
  • A good evening routine will help to prevent disruption to a teenager’s body clock.

Visit the Teen Sleep Hub website     for further information including advice about:

  • anxiety
  • routine
  • going to sleep and waking up
  • social media, screen time and peer pressure
  • exercise
  • remixes to relax

Visual timetables and Social stories are suitable for all children including those with additional needs and learning disabilities.

These timetables and social stories offer a series of pictures or symbols that can help children to understand the sequence of events in their sleep routine.

Visit the Autism Speaks website for further information.

Image Bank – Learning Disability Service (learningdisabilityservice-leeds.nhs.uk)

Gentle sleep technique – kissing game / Five magic kisses

This is a strategy for a gentle sleep training technique for helping your toddler or older child to get used to going to sleep without you in the room with them. It is similar to the gradual retreat strategy. This strategy is for children aged one years and older.

• Have a consistent, positive bedtime routine.
• Put your child to bed when they are drowsy but awake and kiss them goodnight.
• Promise to return in a few moments to give them another kiss.
• Return almost immediately to give a kiss.
• Take a few steps to the door, then return immediately to give a kiss.
• Promise to return in a few moments to give them another kiss.
• Put something away or do something in the room then give them a kiss.
• If your child stays in bed, keep returning to give more kisses.
• Do something outside their room and return to give kisses.
• If your child gets out of bed or stands up say “back into bed and I’ll give you a kiss”.
• Keep returning frequently to give kisses until they are asleep.
• Repeat this every time your child wakes during the night.
• Do be prepared for this to take a long time when you first start – it may take three hours and 300 kisses until your child falls asleep.
• Do substitute strokes and pats for kisses if your child sleeps in a cot and you can’t reach in to kiss them.
Please watch the attached link for a video showing this technique:
• FIVE MAGIC KISSES

It is difficult for most people’s bodies to suddenly switch from “daytime mode” to “sleep mode.” If you find your child puts off going to sleep or lays in bed waiting for his body to feel ready for sleep, some of the following activities may be beneficial. Children with learning disability often demonstrate sensory seeking behaviours around bedtime that cause over arousal.

It is important to lower the child’s arousal state and to calm him or her down to allow the child to fall asleep and stay asleep. Steps can be taken throughout the day that will help to decrease a child’s arousal before bedtime.

The following activities focus on decreasing bothersome or alerting stimuli (sights, sounds, etc.) and increasing calming stimuli/sensations:

  • Avoid bright screens (TV, computer, phone, iPad) create a bedtime box to help transitioning away from a screen.
  • Choose a relaxing activity that uses fine motor skills, drawing, jigsaw puzzle, word/number games (Sudoku, crossword, word search), cards, or knitting
  • Listen to quiet music that is soothing or white noise sounds.
  • Relax in a dim, quiet space with cosy blankets, before heading to bed
  • Wrap body tightly in a blanket or sit under a weighted blanket
  • Take a warm shower or bath.
  • Put on some kid friendly mindfulness audio or do some kids yoga postures
  • Getting a tight hug from a family member, or roll an exercise ball firmly over your child’s back while they lie on a mat.
  • Rhythmic linear (back and forth/side to side) motion can be soothing i.e a rocking chair.
  • Deep breathing or sucking may help the body feel more calm and ready for sleep; for example, blowing bubbles, drink room temperature water through a straw, or chewy snack like almonds.

Creating a bedtime box: Click here for more information

Information on Twinkl

Quiet activities that use both the hands and eyes together help children’s brains and bodies become calm and relax in preparation for sleep

  • Make a special box to keep just for pre-bedtime activities. This can help to encourage children to switch off TV, tablets and so on.
  • Let your child personalise a box with a lid, decorate it with pens, or craft things, they may wish to write their name on it too. Once complete, talk about quiet activities that they may like to do in that first part of their routine.
  • Maybe add a few surprise things that you’ve thought about too. Explain this box can only be used at bed time and keep to that rule. Keep it fresh and interesting by adding extra items from time to time.

For younger children consider the following (not an exhaustive list):

  • jigsaw, colouring, treading, squishies, small selection of lego, kinetic sand/playdoh, sticker books,

For older children:

  • Board game, reading, craft activity, journaling, hand/foot massage, word games, puzzle toys ( e.g. a rubix cube)
  • Gentle yoga, a short walk or drive in the car, exercises with light weights.

For further information, please see:

https://thesleepcharity.org.uk/

https://sleepaction.org/

https://cerebra.org.uk/get-advice-support/sleep-advice-service/

Your child needs enough good-quality sleep so they can play, learn and concentrate during the day. Screen time and digital technology use can affect how quickly your child falls asleep and how long your child sleeps. This happens for several reasons: Screen time in the hour before bed can stimulate your child.

Light from televisions, computer screens, phones and tablets might suppress melatonin levels and delay sleepiness. Your child might be tempted to stay up late to chat with friends or play games. Your child might be disturbed in the night by notifications, messages or calls

Please see links below for further advice.

Technology in the Bedroom (sleepfoundation.org)

How Does Blue Light Affect Children’s Sleep? (sleepfoundation.org)

Blue Light and Sleep – The Sleep Charity

Children and young people with learning disabilities, including those with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (also known as ASD) are far more likely to have sleep problems than other children. We can provide advice and support to families on coping with sleep difficulties.

The Specialist Learning Disability Service provides advice and support to children and young people with learning disabilities, their parents/carer(s) and the healthcare and education professionals they rely on.

Sleep difficulties can include children or young people not settling to sleep or waking early or often throughout the night. They might become noisy or distressed, during the night or when settling. Often parents/carer(s) have to sleep in shifts, sleep deprivation can have a devastating effect on the whole household.

How can we help?

Our Learning Disability team have specialist sleep Practitioners and sleep counsellors available to offer advice and support , when a referral is made to our service, we will identify the level of support required and invite parents/carers to the most appropriate pathway.

This may include attendance to a supportive sleep workshop where we introduce sleep processes and techniques which are known to effectively support sleep issues. In the supportive sleep workshop, families are introduced to various techniques including behavioural interventions to support positive change, keeping a sleep diary and identifying possible reasons for your child/young person’s sleep issues.

We also offer full sleep assessments and individual sleep programmes if your clinician feels it’s required.

Guidance and helpful information

If you have a child with learning disabilities and need support with their sleep issues, please make a referral to Children and Family Health Devon or ask for further support from a health care professional.

For further information, visit our Sleep difficulties related to learning disabilities page, here

Top tips to help your child sleep well:

If you would like further information about the learning disability service, please click here.