SCHOOLCHILDREN MISS OUT ON ALMOST TWO FULL DAYS OF SLEEP OVER SUMMER

SLEEP EXPERT REVEALS FIVE TIPS FOR GETTING YOUR CHILDREN BACK INTO A HEALTHY SLEEP ROUTINE AS THEY GO BACK-TO-SCHOOL

Youngsters get an hour’s more sleep per night during term time compared to over the summer holidays
It takes parents nine days on average to get their child back into their sleep routine at the start of the academic year
Kids wake up an average of 2.2 times per night, with a staggering 81% experiencing bedtime anxiety
Silentnight has partnered with a child behaviour expert, as well as charity Zarach to develop sleep guide for parents and teachers

Primary school children miss out on almost two full days of sleep over the summer holidays, according to new national research revealed today.

The study, conducted by sleep experts Silentnight, found youngsters aged between four and eleven years old get an average of just six and a half hours of sleep per night during the holidays, compared to an average of 7.4 hours in term time.

This means children miss out on around 42 hours of sleep between July and August, due to more flexible and lenient night-time routines over the summer months - resulting in later bedtimes.

The survey further revealed that when children return to school, as millions will be doing over the coming days and weeks, it takes parents an average of nine days to get them back into their regular term time bedtime routine.

Elsewhere, primary school-aged children wake up an average of 2.2 times per night, while more than four in five (81%) experience bedtime anxiety, which is a fear or worry about going to sleep.

When it comes to bedtime anxiety, Silentnight’s research found almost a quarter of kids are scared of the dark (23%), while nearly one in five (19%) have nightmares, with the same number fearful of sleeping alone.

The survey revealed parents are split when it comes to dealing with children who wake up in the night, with almost a quarter (23%) sending them back to bed, and just over a third (34%) letting them into their own bed.

Silentnight’s study also delved into bedtime routines, revealing there are five elements incorporated by at least one in five parents: A bedtime story, goodnight kiss, brushing teeth, bathing and prayers.

To help make the bedtime routine as easy as possible, Silentnight has partnered with child behaviour expert Natalie Costa and charity Zarach, which delivers beds to children living in poverty, as well as its own sleep expert Hannah Shore to develop a Sleep Guide for Kids aimed at parents and teachers.

Hannah Shore, Sleep Knowledge and Researcher Manager at Silentnight said: “Children need an average of 10 hours sleep per night, depending on their age. Our survey reveals that the average child is not getting anywhere near this, even during term time.

“It's not just about the quantity of sleep they get, but the quality. Children need a good mixture of all types of sleep to get good sleep quality. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is light, has links with memory consolidation, emotional processing and learning, while non rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, which is deep, is restorative, meaning toxins are washed from our brains and growth hormones are released.”

As part of Silentnight’s Sleep Guide for Kids, Natalie Costa who has more than 14 years’ experience working with parents and kids to develop better sleeping routines, shares her top tips to help ease the back to school transition – and develop a positive sleeping routine.

Natalie, who’s also founder of Power Thoughts, commented: “The Back to School period can be disruptive for children and parents as they look to adapt from the school holiday routine to a more structured school time routine.

“The good news for parents is that there’s a lot of things they can do in the run up to starting school again to take the stress out of bedtime and help kids feel more settled and adapt into a new routine.

“Whether it’s creating a clear bedtime routine, taking the time to explain why sleep is so important or even practising meditation or journaling – there’s lots of things to try.”

Bex Wilson, founder of sleep charity Zarach, said: “Since we began the fight against child bed poverty in 2018, I’ve remained convinced that with the right partnerships we can, together, bring an end to UK bed poverty and succeed in our mission to ensure every head a bed and for every child to have the opportunity to eat, sleep, learn.

As well as collaborating on the sleep guide, Silentnight has started regular product donations to the charity. Bex continued: “We were thrilled to receive such a large, generous donation of high-quality, brand-new items. We feel privileged to be working with such a giant of the sleep industry”.

NATALIE COSTA’S FIVE BACK-TO-SCHOOL SLEEP TIPS…

1. Sleep is your superpower

Share with your child how sleep is actually their hidden superpower! Explain that while they might not always feel like sleeping or going to bed at a certain time, their brain LOVES sleep. Our brain is like an iPad, if the battery is running low, we need to recharge the device, otherwise we can’t play the games we like!

2. Bring them in

Start to incorporate the back to school sleep routine a week (or at least a few days) before your child goes back to school. Doing so will help them feel more settled on the day, and it will hopefully be less of a shock to their system upon their return.

3: Creating a cosy sleep environment

Try to create a calm and relaxing space to help your child settle more easily at night as they prepare to go to bed. Explore with them how they can create a cosy environment by tidying their bedroom, having a special pillow or blanket or a lamp that illuminates a softer glow.

4. Calm the worries

Bedtime can often be a time when children share their worries or anxieties of the day. Help your child work through these worries by getting them to journal, draw or write out what is on their mind. You can also offer to hold on to the worries for your child, by telling them that you’ll look after them so that your child doesn’t have to.

5. Hand-on-heart-breathing

Model and teach your child how to soothe their negative feelings by using their breath. Hand-on-heart-breathing is a great exercise to help your child calm their wobbly feelings. Typically, when we get anxious or upset, our breathing starts to quicken - intensifying those nervy emotions. Teach your child how to breath into their belly (or diaphragm) - taking slow, deep breaths in through their nose, and slowly exhaling through their mouth, as if they’re blowing out through a straw.

For more sleep advice, visit Silentnight’s sleep guide for kids: https://www.silentnight.co.uk/sleep-guide-for-kids