Is Your Child Getting the Ideal Sleep for Optimal Learning?

The end of the Summer Holidays is already here and all those late nights and late risings are now heading out the window as the time fast approaches to get kids sleep habits and sleep schedule back on track. Not only is important for helping get them to school on time, but poor sleep can also lead to issues with school work, mood swings and health.
With help from Alberta’s Chiropractors in Canada we’ve compiled the following advice for helping kids back into that natural sleep routine for school.
1. Once you’ve set a sleep schedule, try and maintain it. Don’t use weekends to catch up on sleep, or slip out of the schedule, as it will have a jet lag effect and catch up with the kids on Monday.

2. Establish a relaxing bedtime ritual quiet time before bed to help them unwind, bath, story or reading time will help their mind settle down to sleep.

3. Maintain a relaxing sleeping environment, all electrical switched off or out of the room. The room should be dark, and video’s laptops, TV’s and Blackberry’s should be out of the room

4. Avoid large meals close to bedtime, as children may struggle to sleep as their body works to digest their food.

5. Avoid high sugary foods, snacks and drinks, including caffeinated ones like Fizzy drinks, up to 6 hours before they sleep.

6. Make sure you have the right pillow and mattress for your child, this is essential. A mattress should be comfortable supportive, and be flexible and adapt to the body’s shape whilst still providing firm support. An Organic mattress without harmful chemicals is important for longer term health benefits, so we recommend a natural latex mattress, which has no metal in and is therefore electromagnetically neutral. Pillows are also very important- for side sleepers, the head, neck and shoulders should remain level with the mid and lower spine. For back sleepers, the head and neck should remain level with the upper back and spine. Avoid pillows that are so thick or thin they angle the head and neck away from the body. We Recommend the Lana all Natural Latex Organic Mattress for children who sleep on their side or the Coco Lana for younger children or children who sleep on their back or stomach.

7. The best positions to sleep in are on the back and side which allows your head, neck and spine to relax into their natural alignment, sleeping on your stomach doesn’t allow you to do this and can cause stiffness in the morning.


8. Read more: http://www.thenownews.com/health/Help+your+child+well+rested+learning/5331844/story.html#ixzz1WbRhcxLq