Many people have a dysfunctional relationship with sleep and don't get enough of it. Adults are often overwhelmed by their day-to-day responsibilities of keeping up with a career and raising a family. They lie awake at night, worrying about it all. Babies and younger children don't always sleep through the night and parents are up at all hours to care for them. Teens stay up too late finishing homework, chatting with friends on social media and watching videos. When everyone is sleep deprived, stress levels increase, family tensions arise, and nobody is happy.
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Try these simple techniques to help everyone in your family sleep better, starting tonight.
Learn About Sleep
The truth is, most of us don't really understand how important sleep is. We stay up too late, and tell ourselves that if we don't, we'll never be able to get everything done. This mentality is passed on to our kids, whether we realize it or not. Download a copy of Your Guide to Healthy Sleep, published by the National Institutes of Health. It's full of information, facts and tips aimed at improving sleep that you can share with your family.
Enact Quiet Time
Getting ready to go to sleep at night begins long before bedtime. Enact quiet time, where all the noise and distractions are kept to a minimum. Ideally, this will begin a couple of hours before the first family members are ready to go to bed. Rather than listening to loud music, or the television, encourage everyone to participate in quiet activities like reading. Quiet conversation, or family story-telling are also great ways to unwind and relax.
Clear Out Clutter
Excess stuff laying about in the bedroom causes chaos, anxiety and stress, even for kids. It's hard to relax when things are in disarray. Eliminate extra furniture, toys and other things that act as a distraction. Get yourself, and your kids into the habit of cleaning up personal belongings to create a clean, organized space. Not only will it help you relax when you're ready to go to bed, it'll also make it easier to get going in the morning.
Lower the Lights
As evening draws near and bedtime looms, lower the lights in the living areas and other common spaces. Hang room darkening shades or curtains in bedrooms to make it as dark as possible. Even a small amount of light triggers your brain to stay awake and keeps sleep from coming. While a nightlight may seem like a good way to keep your little ones from getting scared, it won't help them sleep. In fact, it will contribute to sleep issues for you both.
Turn Off Electronics
Cellphones and other electronic gadgets have become a necessity of life for most of us. It's hard to put them down because so much is going on and we don't want to miss a thing. The same holds true for the television. Unfortunately, they're also one of the main reasons people don't sleep well. Make a family rule that all the gadgets have to be kept outside of the bedroom after a certain time. That way, there's no sleep interruptions from the constant notifications and updates going on.
Keep a Bedtime Schedule
It's tempting to allow your kids, and yourself, to stay up later on the weekends. After all, you don't have to get up early for work and school, so it's no big deal, right? Actually, sticking with the same schedule all week long is far better for kids and adults. Of course, younger children might be put to bed earlier than teens, but everyone will benefit from a set bedtime and wake-up time. Some families enact a family bedtime that everyone abides by. Do what works best for you.
It's not always easy to get your family to cooperate, even when it's good for them. Don't give up though, getting adequate sleep is an important, and often overlooked aspect of a healthy lifestyle. When you're all well-rested because you've developed healthy sleeping habits, you'll become happier, more productive, and healthier. They might gripe in the beginning, but in the long run, everyone will thank you for helping them develop this important habit.
