Sleep

Lots of young people find getting to sleep, staying asleep or waking up a real problem. Disrupted, broken or insufficient sleep can really impact on people’s mood and ability to cope with daily life.

Top tips to help your child get to and stay asleep:

  • Avoiding stimulants such as alcohol, caffeine, sugary drinks or foods. This includes avoiding technology like phones, tablets, TV etc.
  • Doing some exercise or activity during the day
  • Make sure they are as organised as they can be for the day ahead so that they are not worrying or thinking about what they have to do or what they might need
  • Avoid them napping during the day
  • Make sure they have something to eat for dinner, they will find it harder to sleep if they are hungry or thirsty
  • Have a regular night time routine; do things roughly in the same order at the same time each night to get their body and mind ready for sleep
  • Get them to wake up at the same time, even on weekends
  • Create a calming and peaceful environment. Rooms that are dark and cool are best for sleep
  • Encourage them not to using their bed for studying, reading or listening to music. Their bed should be used for sleeping.
  • Sometimes having a warm milky drink at night can help
  • Take a warm (not too hot) bath or shower

Sometimes people find it hard to sleep because they have many thoughts going round in their mind. We would recommend reading our advice on anxiety and depression sections of this website for ideas of strategies which might help you manage these thoughts.

Remember; being tired is as dangerous as drunk driving. Sleep loss can impact on concentration and your judgement times, so if you are tired, do not drive.

Downloads

Websites

Visit the PIER groups website Visit the Wessex Local Medical Committees Ltd website NHS Choices # Copyright 2015 - 2024 Healthier Together
Hide this section
Show accessibility tools

Text Size:

Text Plus Text Minus Text Reset

Contrast:

Contrast White Contrast Blue Contrast Beige Contrast Yellow Text Reset