Better Sleep: Mindfulness and your child’s bedtime routine

Between 2016-2018, it was estimated that one-third of children aged 4-17 did not meet sleep recommendations for their age.

 

Many children struggle to get restful sleep, for a variety of reasons, and their mental health can suffer as a result - Sleep is crucial for your child’s alertness, focus, mood regulation, learning capacity, memory function and emotional control.

In this blog, we’ll talk about how sleep can affect your child’s mental wellbeing, give you some tips on creating the ideal bedtime routine and, highlight the vital role mindfulness can play in enhancing their sleep.

 

Links between sleep and mental health

 

There are many well-known links between one’s sleep and mental state. Around 75% of those who are depressed, show symptoms of insomnia and it is clear that sleeping issues can be both a cause and consequence of mental health problems. It can be difficult to identify the cause and effect of these mental health problems due to their bidirectional relationship with sleep problems.

Mental health issues can arise as a result of sleep issues. There’s a reason, after all, that it’s said that someone in a bad mood ‘woke up on the wrong side of the bed’. Poor sleep is closely linked to mental and emotional health and has shown to cause anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder. One reason for this is because sleep facilitates the brain’s processing of emotional information, remembering thoughts and feelings. A lack of sleep negatively affects the consolidation of positive emotions and thus mood and emotional reactivity are affected. Here are some common effects of sleep deprivation on children’s mental health:

 

1. Increased Anxiety: Insufficient sleep can heighten feelings of anxiety and stress, making it harder to manage everyday challenges.
   
   
2. Depression: Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to a higher risk of developing depression and can exacerbate existing depressive symptoms.
   
   
3. Mood Swings: Lack of sleep can lead to irritability and mood swings, making emotional regulation more difficult.
   
   
4. Cognitive Impairment: Sleep deprivation negatively impacts concentration, memory, and decision-making skills, hindering cognitive function.
   
   
5. Emotional Reactivity: Sleep deprivation can increase emotional sensitivity, causing individuals to react more intensely to stressors.

 

Creating a mindful bedtime

 

Sufficient sleep heals our bodies and minds but doesn’t always come easily. In today’s fast paced world, stress and anxiety can prevent children from feeling the full healing power of sleep. Incorporating mindfulness practices into their evening can create a sense of tranquillity and prepare them for a restful sleep. By encouraging kids to become more aware of their thoughts, mindfulness helps them let go of anxieties and stresses that might otherwise keep them awake.

 

Studies have shown that mindfulness can help with sleep by:

 

1. Reducing anxiety and stress: It is difficult for children to fall asleep when their mind is racing with thoughts and stresses from the day or tomorrow. Through mindfulness practices children can learn to look at their worries from a distance, without being caught up in them. This can then lower their stress levels and make it easier to fall asleep.
   
   
2. Promoting relaxation: It encourages children to take deep breaths and focus on now. By grounding you in the present moment, mindfulness helps reduce anxiety about a presentation or exam the following day, helping the mind relax.
   
   
3. Encouraging Positive Thoughts: By fostering a positive mental environment, mindfulness can help children cultivate optimistic thoughts, making it easier to slip into a peaceful sleep.
   
   

Here are some tips for incorporating mindfulness into your child’s bedtime routine:

Focus on breath

Research shows that different emotions are associated with different forms of breathing, and so focussing on how we breathe can change how we feel. If your children feel anxious or angry in bed, for instance, their breathing will be irregular, short, fast, and shallow. This can restrict airflow in the body and can lead to uncomfortable sensations such as a racing heart. By practicing mindful breathing and controlling your breath during bedtime, you’ll slow down and begin to feel relaxed, calm, and content.

 

Mindful breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, your body’s ‘rest and digest’ system. When this system is activated, your heartrate and blood pressure lower to conserve energy for bodily processes such as digestion, thus anxiety is reduced, you think more rationally and become calmer.

 

During our belly breathing activity, children visualise their stomachs as an inflating balloon. Helping introduce a simple and easily understandable technique that they can use in bed - children breathe along with the slow pulsating lights from the Stix whilst listing to the voice that guides them.

Thinking about their belly rising and falling means that they have something to focus on whilst they breathe in and out. By engaging the diaphragm whilst breathing, the body’s relaxation response is activated, calming the nervous system, and reducing stress.

 

Teach gratitude meditation

 

Before bed, encourage your children to reflect on the positive things that happened throughout the day, even if they are small. This could be anything from a moment they had with a friend or a magical moment in nature. They can also think of a positive person in their lives such as their grandparents or a best friend. This can help shift focus from worries and stress to positive thoughts.

 

Gratitude can be practiced before bed in many ways, from writing a gratitude journal fifteen minutes before bed to creating a gratitude jar that children can add to. Your children can also fill up with gratitude before or in bed by practicing the Stix activity, ball of light. Throughout which they become a bright ball of light symbolising positivity and gratitude, drifting off to sleep, ready to share these rays the following day. Ball of Light also involves sharing loving-kindness with others, instilling a sense of peace and wellbeing, and setting the stage for restful sleep.

 

Use imagination

 

We’d recommend encouraging your children to distract themselves from anxieties and worries by picturing calm and peaceful scenes, utilising as many of your senses as possible.

 

For example, they could close their eyes and imagine a serene beach, a forest, or a calm lake. Can they hear the gentle crashing of waves? Feel the warmth of the sun on their skin? Or taste the salty breeze from the sea? You could also read them a fantasy book, capturing their attention and sense of adventure. Engaging their senses in this way can create a calling mental landscape that draws them away from anxious thoughts.

 

Be consistent

 

Mindfulness for sleep is even more effective when practiced regularly. By incorporating mindfulness into your child’s nightly routine, they’ll become better at directing their attention to the present moment instead of getting caught up in worries about the future.

 

Your child can track how much they practice mindfulness on the Stix app! Consistency is encouraged by streaks and the unlocking of achievements.

 

Calm the body

 

Have you ever tried a body scan meditation with your kids? It’s a fun and calming way to help them relax. Start by guiding them to imagine gently moving through each part of their body, from the tips of their toes to the top of their heads. Encourage them to notice how each part feels without worrying about it, maybe their feet are ticklish, or their shoulders feel heavy.

 

This practice helps kids become aware of their bodies and release any tension they might be holding. When they learn to relax like this, it can make falling asleep easier and more peaceful. Give it a try together!

 

Your child can use the Stix remotes to help guide them through the concept of body scanning. Our activity, snow angel, helps children identify each part of their body, whilst forming snow angles in the imaginary snow. This helps build a deeper understanding of bodily experiences and how emotions, such as anxiety, effect it. The deeper connection built throughout this activity helps children relax their body and encourages sleep.

 

Other essentials for your child’s bedtime routine:

 

So, we’ve established how important creating a mindful environment is for your child’s sleep. Now let’s chat about some practical tips you can add to their sleep routines to encourage restful nights for the whole family:

 

Make Sleep a Family Priority

 

Set the stage for healthy habits by being a sleep role model. Consistently going to bed at the same time as a family not only reinforces the importance of sleep but also makes it a shared value. Children are more likely to adopt good habits when they see their parents practicing them.

 

Stay Active During the Day

 

Encourage physical activity as it plays a significant role in improving sleep quality. Take family walks in the park or engage in fun outdoor games together. Finding ways to incorporate movement into your day can make bedtime easier.

 

Limit Screen Time

 

Aim to reduce screen exposure at least an hour before bedtime. This includes TVs, phones, tablets, and computers. Cutting down on screens can help your child unwind and prepare their mind for sleep, making it easier for them to drift off.

 

Create a Sleep-Friendly Environment

 

Transform your child's bedroom into a serene sleep sanctuary. Keep the room cool, dark, and quiet to promote restful sleep. Additionally, limit the number of toys in the bed to help separate playtime from sleep time, creating a clear boundary that encourages relaxation. This sleep-friendly environment can be the ideal place for children to practice mindfulness before bed, with or without the Stix remotes.

 

By implementing these strategies, you can help foster healthier sleep habits that will work hand in hand with mindfulness practices.