The below wording is taken from the newsletter of the Teen Sleep Hub
It's important during the summer break to keep to a good sleep routine and ensure we don't suffer from sleep deprivation!
Are you enjoying the summer holidays and no early wake ups?
As great as lazy mornings are, they make it easy to fall out of your normal schedule and keeping a good routine can help you enjoy your break all the more. Try not to stray too far from normality or the struggle will be real once the holidays are over and it's back to reality.
Follow these tips to help you stick to a great routine:
Have a Balanced Diet Eating well throughout the day not only helps look after your weight and energy levels, but also has a positive impact on your sleep. Eat regularly, keep food options healthy and try to limit how many caffeine drinks you have. It can be tempting to reach for a bag of crisps or a chocolate bar as a bedtime snack, but try to avoid the temptation and instead choose something like low sugar cereal and milk, bananas, cherries and even cheese.
Make the Bedroom Environment Right Let’s face it, teenagers’ bedrooms aren’t always the most relaxing of places! Did you know that a tidy bedroom does help you sleep? You may not be able to make the bedroom a complete clutter-free zone but try to keep it as tidy as possible. Put clothes away, dirty cups in the dishwasher and tidy your working area. An ideal bedroom environment needs to be free of distractions, cool, quiet and dark and you should be sleeping on a comfortable bed.
Encourage Regular Exercise Instead of sitting around gaming, make time for exercise – whatever you enjoy doing most. Working out effectively gradually tires your body, promoting a better night’s sleep. Releasing pent -up tension through exercise is also highly beneficial, helping to reduce stress before bedtime. Exercising is also followed by a drop in your body’s temperature, which aids better sleep. So haul your bum off the sofa and away from gaming and the TV and make time for 30 minutes of exercise a day.
Try This
We know you want to use your phone, but it’s really good to turn it off – for your mental health and your sleep. You could also consider a ‘digital detox’ for the next few evenings. Using screens before bed can double the length of time it takes you to fall asleep, as it suppresses the production of your sleep hormone, melatonin. Read or listen to music instead.
Back to School Tip
If you find your bedtime slips over the summer holidays and you’re waking up later in the morning – this is quite natural for teenagers but unfortunately doesn’t quite fit in with the normal school day. When you have a couple of weeks to go until you're back to school, try hitting the sack 15 minutes earlier every three nights to get back into a normal sleeping pattern. Keep a consistent wake up time too. If you're having difficulties sleeping, you can find more helpful advice and handy tips, along with free e-Books, on the Teen Sleep Hub website here.
Why not encourage your school to help you and your friends?
Get them to download the Digital Schools Pack available to download here. It is packed full of posters, graphics and advice sheets that they can download, print off and share.
TCT has a specialist Sleep Practitioner can provide families with help and support with infant and child sleep concerns. You can find details using the link below.
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