ANCSLEEP BLOG

Teaching children how to sleep is well-documented. But can these same tricks work for adults? Websites that discuss sleep training for children are excellent resources for adults too. Not every trick will work, but many of the strategies are applicable to adults who struggle with sleep deprivation or falling asleep.

It might feel silly to use childish methods to establish good sleeping habits, but improved sleep can improve functioning:

• Physically
• Mentally
• Academically
• Socially

Here are 4 tricks we use on many children that also work on adults.

What is Your Sleep Wake Cycle?

Your circadian rhythm acts as your internal timekeeper, orchestrating the delicate balance between sleep and wakefulness. Operating behind the scenes in your brain, it controls your natural cycle of rest and alertness, commonly referred to as your sleep-wake cycle.

Understanding your circadian rhythm is crucial in grasping the intricate workings of your body and brain, ultimately impacting the quality of your sleep. Your sleep-wake cycle, from the moment you rise to when you hit the pillow and wake again, is ideally a 24-hour cycle aligned with modern society's rhythm. However, variations exist, with your natural sleep cycle possibly spanning 26 or 22 hours.

Furthermore, your biological clock can be "shifted" earlier or later in the day, giving rise to the terms night owl and lark. It's worth noting that a significant portion, 40-70 percent, of your biological clock is predetermined by genetics. While you can attempt to adjust your clock, completely altering your sleep-wake cycle may prove unrealistic.

If you can’t sleep and think you have tried everything, there are many tips that not have thought of. There are other non-standard, and sometimes odd ways of helping yourself get to sleep that you likely have not heard of. These sleep strategies are effective and backed by studies and experience.

Here are tips for sleeping when you’ve tried everything.

What is the Circadian Rhythm?

Your circadian rhythm is your biological clock. It runs in the background of your brain, managing and regulating your cycle of sleep and wakefulness. It’s also known as your sleep-wake cycle. It’s an important term to understand when trying to understand how and why your body/brain operates the way it does – understanding which can be critical to getting a good night’s rest.

Your sleep-wake cycle dictates when you rise, rest, and rise again. While the ideal circadian rhythm aligns with a 24-hour cycle, not everyone operates on this schedule. Your natural sleep pattern may lean towards 26 hours or even 22 hours, showcasing the unique diversity in how individuals function within the constraints of modern society.

Also, you biological clock may be “shifted” to earlier or later in the day, hence the terms night owl and lark. It’s important to note that research has shown that 40-70% of your biological clock is genetic, meaning that while you may be able to shift your clock, it may be unrealistic to simply adopt a new sleep-wake cycle.

Not being able to sleep is frustrating. But going to sleep takes more than just laying down in bed, sometimes. There are daily behaviors that can improve your sleep, along with tips and tricks to help you drift into a slumber if you are struggling. Continue reading to learn more about healthy behaviors that are great for helping adults sleep. 

What is Sleep Debt?

A “sleep debt” is a common term that refers to the amount of sleep you get that is less than the amount of sleep you need. The way we generally understand it is that over time, a “debt” forms where you need to “catch up” on sleep to be healthy again.

To put it a different way:

• Your body requires a certain about of sleep, which is different depending on your age
• As you get less sleep than required, you become sleep deprived
• This sleep deprivation causes a “debt” which you have to “pay” by sleeping more than the required amount

Sleep debts are extremely important to correctly understand, because there are common misconception about what a sleep debt is and how you “repay” it. Most people are under the false assumption that they can “repay” their sleep debt much like you repay any monetary debt: in large sums. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work this way.

What is Binge Sleeping?

Imagine this scenario: you stay up late during the week, engrossed in reading, watching TV, working, or browsing on your computer. The next morning, you drag yourself out of bed, having only managed about five hours of sleep. But don't worry, you think, you can always catch up on sleep over the weekend.

On the weekends, you indulge in a bit of extra sleep, thinking it's the perfect solution to make up for those lost hours of rest. This practice is quite common among many individuals, especially considering that Americans typically clock in 6.8 hours of sleep on weekdays and 7.4 hours on weekends.

The concept of binge sleeping revolves around the notion of a "sleep debt," a fundamental concept crucial in understanding the effects of sleep deprivation and binge sleeping patterns.

Signs Your Child Isn’t Sleeping Enough

When your child isn’t sleeping enough, they will likely show signs such as being defiant, hyperactive, and/or crabby. If children don't get enough sleep, there may be an increase in behavioral issues. Signs your child isn’t sleeping enough include:

• Behavior that is consistent with ADHD signs
  • Hyperactivity
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Defiant behavior
  • Impulsive behavior
• Excessive sleep on weekends
• Falling asleep during the day, such as at school
• Poor or erratic performance at school
• Hard time waking up in the morning

In fact, there is an increasing body of evidence from studies that children with chronic sleep problems can be misdiagnosed with ADHD (Shur-Fen Gau 2006). Another important thing is to try and establish a baseline of behavior and performance for your child so it's easier to decipher what is normal and what is uncharacteristic.

If your child’s behavior/performance is erratic from day to day, or if they are uncharacteristically defiant/crabby/sleepy, look at their sleep schedule.

Sleep myths are popular on social media, in memes, and in advice from parents and friends. Unlike many myths, which can be harmless, sleep myths may actually change your sleep behaviors in ways that negatively impact it.  

While there are certainly more than six myths about sleep, here are six common myths, some (or all) of which you may have heard. 

1. If you can’t sleep, just stay in bed 
2. Snoring is just annoying
3. Some people don’t need 7-9 hours of sleep
4. Hit the snooze button to get extra sleep
5. Using TV to fall asleep is affective
6. A night cap will help you sleep

Let’s look at these 6 sleep myths in more detail.

How Much Sleep Do Children Need?

Children need more sleep than adults. The younger the child, the more sleep they need. Below is a guideline for the amount of recommended, minimum, and maximum amount of sleep your child should be getting based on their age [Sleep Foundation]. All children are different and have unique needs, hence there is a recommended number listed, and outside of that a minimum and maximum amount of sleep are listed as well:

• Newborns 0-4 months
  • 11-19 hours per day; Recommended 14-17 hours per day
• Infants 4-12 months
  • 10-18 hours per day; Recommended 12-15 hours
• Toddlers 1-3 years
  • 9-16 hours per day; Recommended 11-14 hours
• Preschoolers 3-5 years
  • 8-14 hours per day; Recommended 10-12 hours
• Adolescents 6-13
  • 7-12 hours per day; Recommended 9-11 hours
• Teenagers 13-18 years
  • 7-11 hours per day; Recommended 8-10 hours

It's important to try and establish what amount of sleep allows your child to perform best. When children don’t get enough sleep, they will experience sleep deprivation.