Better Quality Sleep for Special Needs Parents

Better quality sleep for special needs parents can have a positive effect on your day and your whole family.

Sleep is such an important part of your overall self-care. It is very common for children and teens with emotional and behavioral disorders to struggle with sleep. This struggle to sleep can affect the entire family. But, better quality sleep for special needs parents and families is possible.

Why Is Sleep Important?

Sleep is important because our body and mind recharges during sleep. Sleep deprivation can lead to mental and physical decline in both the short-term and the long-term. For our children who struggle with depression, mood disorders, aggression, and behavior issues, improving sleep may very well benefit these areas of concern.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NAMI) has more information on sleep and mental health. Click here for more information from NAMI.

Stress can negatively impact your sleep. In turn, losing sleep can cause stress! You will find additional ways to deal with sleep and stress in our article Ways to Reduce Stress-Related Side Effects for Special Needs Parents.

What is “Sleep Hygiene?”

Sleep hygiene refers to the habits that help you achieve a good night’s sleep. They include the environment and the behavior around bedtime and sleep. Pre-bedtime rituals, consistent sleep times, and comfortable sleeping environment are all part of sleep hygiene.

What is Your Current Sleep Routine?

Before we dive into strategies to improve quality of sleep, let’s look at the current sleep patterns in your home. Look at each person in your home during this practice. The questions below will be for your child and for you. Add additional people to address everyone sleeping in your home.

While you may have answers to these questions, keeping a sleep diary for a week or two will give you a more accurate picture.

• WHEN does your child go to bed?
• WHEN does your child go to sleep?
• HOW OFTEN does your child wake up during the night?
• WHAT HAPPENS when your child wakes up during the night?
• WHEN does your child wake up for the day?
• WHEN do YOU go to bed?
• WHEN do you fall asleep?
• HOW OFTEN do you wake during the night?
• WHEN do you wake up for the day?

What is Your Current Sleep Environment?

Next, let’s look at where sleep is taking place for everyone in your home.

• WHERE does your child sleep?
• WHAT is the noise level in and around the room?
• WHAT is the light level in and around the room?
• WHAT are other distractors in the immediate environment?
• WHERE do you sleep?
• WHAT is the noise level in and around the room?
• WHAT is the light level in and around the room?
• WHAT are other distractors in the immediate environment?

Strategies for Better Quality Sleep for Special Needs Parents

Let’s look at strategies to help your child and your entire family sleep better at night.

Routine Routine Routine

Just like your child and you thrive on routines during the day, setting up nightly routines will assist with the sleep schedule. 

This can include reading a favorite book. It may be the same book every night and that is ok.

It can include self-care routines such as brushing teeth and changing into pajamas.

Routines will start to help cue the body to prepare for sleep.

Aromatherapy

Make use of calming scents to prepare the body for sleep. This can become a part of the bedtime routine.

Bath and Body Works has several sleep scent-lines that include body wash, body lotion, and linen sprays. Both your child and you can benefit from a warm shower before bed, followed by some relaxing body lotion, and a few sprays of aromatherapy in the bedroom. One of my favorites is Bath and Body Works Stress Relief Eucalyptus and Spearmint line. Here are some other great aromatherapy items:

White Noise

Sleeping in a noisy environment can be difficult. It can also be difficult in complete or near silence.

Using a white noise machine can help create a peaceful environment for falling asleep. It also helps prevent noises around the home from waking someone up.

Also, like with the other steps in the routine, it can help alert the body that it is time to prepare for sleep.

I like machines like this one. They allow for a variety of sounds and can stay on all night. I find ones that turn off in the middle of the night can almost act as an alarm. The sudden ending of the noise can be startling!

Lighting

With electricity and electronics, our bodies are exposed to light way past sundown. 

Turn down the brightness on devices and reduce use right before bed. Using blue light glasses is one way to reduce the effects of blue light from electronics on our sleep patterns. 

Check out the stylish choices from TWELVE Eyewear.

Another way to create a darker sleeping environment is by using blackout curtains. This has helped during the spring and summer months. It also blocks out street lights and passing cars. My neighbor has beautiful lights outside November through January, but they shine right into my bedroom window. Blackout curtains have allowed us to create a very dark sleep environment. Both my child and I noticed an improvement the first week I hung them up!

Blankets 

Creating a comfortable sleeping environment also includes what you are sleeping on. This includes a nice mattress, sheets that do not itch or irritate, and blankets.

Many children with a variety of disabilities do well with weighted blankets. These blankets create a reassuring pressure. 

Weighted blankets come in various textures and patterns. Some can help with cooling hot sleepers. Many are now washable! Here are a variety of weighted blankets to please a variety of tastes!

Pillow

Having a comfortable pillow is also important. I keep a lot of tension in my shoulder and neck. Switching to a more supportive pillow has allowed me to wake up with less tension in these areas.

Pillows like this one help with my shoulder, neck and back pain. It is also a nice support when sitting up in bed reading!

Limiting Electronics

Limiting time on electronics before bed is important. I find it helpful to set a recurring do not disturb a few hours before bed through my alarm in the morning.

Keeping the phone in another room is a common suggestion. I use my phone for an alarm and to listen to audiobooks or meditations before bed. I turn the brightness level almost all the way down and have the phone flipped upside down to block any potential light when I go to sleep.

Creating a Calm Wake Up

Waking up to a blaring alarm is not the best way to start the day. I suggest you set your alarm to go off at least a few minutes before your child wakes up. I also like to use a soothing, gentle alarm sound that wakes me up gradually and calmly.

You will find a more tips in Creating a Calmer Home for Special Needs Families.

Better Quality Sleep for Special Needs Parents: Summary

Sleep plays a vital role in our physical and mental health. Take time to assess your current sleep situation for all the members in your home. Once you have an idea of the current sleep routines and environment, take some additional steps to improve your overall quality of sleep.

While you are working on improving the quality of sleep in your home, you may want to also try some tips from Self-Care When You Are Exhausted: Slow and Gentle Self-Care.

Losing sleep can increase your likelihood of becoming ill. You will find additional strategies to improve physical health in our article Better Self-Care for Sick Days as a Special Needs Parent.

You may also be interested in reading the article form NAMI California: Better Sleep to Maintain Mental Health.

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