Sleep Solutions
Help me to help my child sleep!
If your child is not sleeping usually you are not sleeping either, so childhood sleep difficulties are a family problem that needs a family based approach.
Our individualised approach to sleep difficulties includes
- Psycho education on sleep, how it works and why it is important (if age appropriate),
- Assessment of your child’s individual sleep difficulties and barriers to sleep.
- Assessment of any family systems and routines that are maintaining those difficulties.
- Most importantly it includes evidence based behavioural interventions such as those listed on this page to create healthy sleep behaviours.
- Also careful attention is paid the the impact of the latest research in circadian rhythms and how these impact our sleep.
Independent Sleep
The bedtime pass, time based or quiet based progressive visiting or waiting are evidence based strategies for independent sleeping difficulties .
Sleep Drive Procedures
Faded bedtime, sleep restriction, chronatherapy, fixed wake time are all strategies proven to increase the bodies drive to sleep.
Fading sleep dependencies
Some children have become dependent on various items or a collection of items to sleep that or either impractical or activity competing with sleep.
Circadian Rhythms
The circadian rhythms in our body are connected to a master clock which is influenced by exercise, temperature, eating patterns and especially light.