Natural Sleep Solutions For the Whole Family
Do you have a child that struggles with getting enough sleep? Maybe your kid has a lot of energy and doesn’t know how to relax for bedtime. Maybe routine is really difficult for them, so they fight with you on going to bed on time. Night terrors, indigestion, big emotions: just because kids are tired doesn’t mean they can always sleep.
Luckily, there are some things you can try doing to help your child sleep better before seeing a doctor or specialist.
In this article we dive into why sleep is important and what can happen when we don’t get quality sleep.
HOW SLEEP WORKS
When we sleep, the brain reorganizes and recharges itself, and removes toxic waste byproducts which have accumulated throughout the day. This is hugely important because this means that sleeping can clear the brain and help maintain its normal functioning.
Sleep is typically divided into two major phases: NREM (non-rapid eye movement) and REM (rapid eye movement). NREM is divided into 3 different stages, with the third being the deepest. The REM sleep has 2 parts: tonic and phasic. The phasic part is actually the one that gives REM its name, this is where rapid eye movement occurs. The phasic part is a sympathetically driven state. The tonic phase is parasympathetically driven and does not have eye movement. This will be important because later in the article we will talk about the importance of being able to hit the brake pedal and allow the body to switch between the two sides of the nervous system (sympathetic nervous system to parasympathetic nervous system).
SLEEP IS A SUPERPOWER - THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD SLEEP
If we asked you, “What are the main pillars of health?” we’d venture to say “sleep” might be the first thing you say. Everyone knows that sleep is important, but do we really know how amazingly awesome it is for every aspect of our physical, mental and emotional health? Here are just some of the benefits quality sleep provides to your family’s health.
Physical - Some Good R & R (Rest and Relaxation)
Promotes proper growth and development (massively important during periods of rapid growth and development – infancy, adolescents and teenage years)
Restores the body’s energy
Increases the immune system’s ability to function and respond
Allows for injury recovery and tissue healing
Gives the digestive system a time to regenerate and clear out unwanted contents
Regulates metabolism
Mental - Clears the “Cobwebs”
Improves recall and enhances memory
Strengthens connections in the brain and promotes healthy cognitive function
Increases one’s ability to concentrate and focus
Enhances one’s ability to process information
Promotes creative problem
Emotional -Hits the “Brake Pedal”
Able to manage stress better
Increases patience and decreases emotional reactivity
POSSIBLE SIGNS OF NOT GETTING ENOUGH QUALITY SLEEP
Elevated stress levels
Difficulty handling stress
Having a difficult time focusing or concentrating in school or work
Poor memory
Chronic fatigue (e.g. always feeling tired in the early afternoon)
Stunted growth
Irritability, impulsivity, poor mood
Gets sick more than others around you or it takes a long time for you to recover
Metabolism or weight challenges
Feels easily overwhelmed/experiences mental fatigue
Regular headaches/migraines
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE AREN'T GETTING GOOD SLEEP?
Beyond just tiredness, sleep deprivation increases the likelihood of developing certain diseases, including heart disease, obesity and brain disorders. In children specifically sleep deprivation can negatively show up as challenges in motor function, cognitive performance as well as behavioral patterns. Any parent who has had a child who hasn’t gotten the sleep they need knows what this looks like: angry tantrums, emotional outbursts and meltdowns. For older children this may look like poor coordination (e.g. clumsiness) and academic struggles.
And we haven’t forgotten about you parents! Sleep deprivation can lead to mood swings, less patience with your kids and/or partner. If you’re experiencing severe sleep deprivation you may experience hand tremors, hallucinations and impaired judgment.
WHAT KEEPS US FROM GETTING GOOD SLEEP?
There are numerous things that stop us from getting good sleep (we’re talking about that “just one more episode on Netflix” thought we’ve all had, late night caffeine or the blue light from mindlessly scrolling on our phones) but what about things beyond the obvious?
Unfortunately for us the thing that keeps us from getting good sleep is the thing that lack of sleep creates more of…stress. Stress and sleep are inversely related to each other: more stress = less sleep and less stress usually means more quality, restful sleep.
The brain and nervous system is what responds to and stores stress, which means the cycle of poor sleep begets more stress which begets poor sleep has everything to do with our brain and nervous system’s ability to adapt to stress. What we know about stress is that regardless of the type (emotional, physical or chemical), it shifts our body into the Fight or Flight part of our nervous system (the sympathetic nervous system). This means our brain and body start to be in survival mode. Just like developmental biologist Dr. Bruce Lipton said, “We can’t be in growth and protection at the same time,” we can’t get adequate, quality sleep when we are in survival mode because our brain is thinking, “There is a threat we must respond to so we can’t afford to rest or sleep!”
In chiropractic we know stored stress in the nervous system to be subluxation. We have a whole article about subluxation and the negative effects it can have on health beyond sleep. You can read that here.
Recognizing the impact of stress on sleep is important in implementing proper strategies for better sleep for the whole family.
NATURAL SLEEP SOLUTIONS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
So what are parents to do to boost the entire family’s health by improving everyone’s sleep? Here are some of our top suggestions:
Implement a consistent bedtime routine: Children thrive on structure and clear expectations, so sticking to a bedtime routine can be a great way to help your child sleep. This also helps regulate your child’s sleep-wake cycle, which helps them associate bedtime with sleeping. Aside from trying to be more consistent, you can also try earlier bedtimes, helping your child self-soothe with stuffed animals or blankets, rewarding positive behavior, and being specific about what your child needs to do to get ready for bed.
Early stop to screen time: Screens aren’t good for adults or children when it comes to sleep. Not only are they distracting and keep us up later than we probably should be, but also the blue light can activate certain parts of our brains that interrupt the sleep cycle. Plus, screens lower the production of melatonin. Try to put screens away at least 1 hour before bedtime.
Incorporating more movement and exercise during the day: Exercising in the day not only tires your kids out by bedtime, but also establishes clear differences between daytime activities (going outside, playing with friends) and nighttime activities (sleeping). This also helps with routine and regulating children’s internal clocks. While a lot of stimulation right before bedtime can be a little counterproductive, activity for kids and adults during the day will pay off at night, too!
Cut off caffeinated drinks and sugary foods at or before 1pm in the afternoon: Caffeine and sugar stimulate the nervous system to be more awake and alert and often stay in the body longer than we think. By decreasing late-day consumption of these drinks and foods, it allows the body to completely process them early enough to minimize the impact on sleep.
Chamomile tea and other sleep foods: Chamomile tea has several benefits for the body and can even strengthen your immune system. It can also act as a safe, mild sedative for your kids to help them fall asleep easier. Though you don’t want to give cherry juice to infants, you can give kids cherry juice, which has natural traces of melatonin. It also helps to find ways to incorporate magnesium in your kid’s diet or use magnesium lotions to help with sleep.
Use lavender essential oils: Lavender interacts with the chemicals in the brain to calm both brain and nervous system activity, helping the body and mind relax. For ages 12 months+, put an essential oil diffuser in the bedroom and let it run for about 30 minutes before bed. (Just remember, quality is important when buying essential oils!)
TRIED ALL OF THIS AND STILL STRUGGLING?
If you’ve tried all or nearly all of these natural at-home sleep remedies for kids and yet your child still struggles with sleep, it’s time to give Pediatric Chiropractic a try.
As neurologically-focused family chiropractors, we are trained to make gentle, easy, effective adjustments that reduce stress on the brain and body and activate the side of the nervous system that controls and regulates sleep.
In fact, improved emotional health and sleep are the two biggest changes our chiropractic patients experience with this approach! This is because chiropractic adjustments create an increased sense of ease.
WHEN TO GET IN TOUCH WITH A PEDIATRIC CHIROPRACTOR
If you’ve noticed anyone in your family struggling with sleep, it may be best to set up an appointment with one of our chiropractors today. If it’s causing enough interruption to normal life, creating adverse behavior and emotions, or causing anxiety as a parent, it’s definitely worth going through our 3-Step Clinical Process right away. Trust your instincts!
Our Docs at Sprout Family Chiropractic in San Diego can help you identify patterns, uncover potential roadblocks, and determine the best course moving forward to help you and your family get the sleep needed to be healthier and happier!
Ready to get to the root cause? Click the button below to get started!