Hello brain detective enthusiasts! I hope this post finds you, your family, and your loved ones as well as possible. It is getting overused at this point, but we are definitely in “unprecedented” or “unpredictable” times. I just think of them as all out disconcerting. No matter what you label them, when stress, adversity, and a lack of routine is present, sleep often suffers. I personally have been struggling to turn my brain off at night due to concerns about my kids, community, business, and world. I have taken to some general sleep hygiene suggestions, which are intended to “clean up” things that can interfere with your ability to get good rest when it is time to settle down. Below, see a link to a set of sleep recommendations for all ages offered by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. When times are out of whack it is even more important that children get good sleep. Being sleep deprived impacts thinking, behavior, and emotional regulation. Now that you are at home (hopefully) with your children all day, a higher focus on basic self-care for food, sleep, and exercise is needed for you and your family. Sleep is when our brains and bodies repair themselves the most. Limiting or interrupting that process can impact your immune system and make it harder to fight off illnesses of all types. Please take the time to read and check out the embedded resources in the document below; they are fantastic! I have personally fallen in love with Headspace’s Sleep Radio, where I can listen to 8 continuous hours of ocean waves that I can use to dream of a beach and a break and a cool beverage and no worries. A girl has to dream you know…
