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Insomnia No More!

I must confess. I’ve never been a great sleeper. When I was younger it was the fear of being alone in basement bedroom that kept me up at night. As I got older it was waking up to every small noise from one of my four children: a cough, a sneeze, was that just a breeze? Then it was my husband’s snoring. And now, well, I’ve been attacked by the post 50’s nighttime monster.   Yet, I’m not alone. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, as many as 30-35% of adults complain if insomnia. And this number spikes to 60% in people over the age of 60. Women are twice as likely to be sleep deprived as their snoring partners who are suffering from sleep apnea and a variety of other respiratory sleep disorders.   But let’s face it. Sleep is important.   Keep in mind that sleep helps with a variety of systems such as our ability to concentrate and focus, to regulate our sensory system more efficiently, to perform multi tasks, to be emotionally healthy and to function throughout the day (just to name a few).   And for children with special needs getting enough sleep can be even a bigger challenge. Whether they have a specific sleep disorder or one that is related to a particular diagnosis such as sensory integration disorder or autism, the lack of sleep can really interfere with their ability to function. And of course, their parents will loose sleep as well handling any middle of the night issues.   So how much sleep do you need?   According to the sleep foundation the following is recommend: Three to five year olds should get 10-13 hours of sleep. Children ages 6-13 should get 9-11 hours of sleep. Teens should get 8-10 hours of sleep and young adults 7-8 hours of sleep. Though this may or may not fit those children through adults in your own family, it is a good ballpark chart.   So what’s the remedy?   First, a visit to your local doctor to determine if there are any other causes robbing your or your child of sleep is a good place to start. If there is a significant problem, a good sleep study can be performed. Once a serious issue is ruled out, the following tips may be helpful.  

• Take a warm bath or shower before bed.
• Get a good massage or brushing protocol before bed.
• Exercise about an hour before bedtime.
• Drink warm milk
• Read a book
• Chill out in a hammock or even consider a hammock bed.
• Use calming essential oils such as lavender
• Try compression bed sheets
• Use an eye mask
• Play digital music that encourages sleep
• Try melatonin or herbal over the counter remedy
• Count sheep
• Meditate
• Try a hug sleeping sack.
• Use a weighted sleeping bag or weighted blanket
• Snuggle up with your favorite weighted companion.
• Find a safe space to sleep in.

  And last but not least. Make sure the bedroom is a no-electronic zone and the bed is used for sleeping and not play or work. Have a good night’s sleep and sweet dreams.