Sleep during COVID has been…well messed up!
We’ve been home with our children for months, schedules and routines have been interrupted and then on top of that…SUMMER! Usually, a time when we throw caution to the wind when it comes to sleep. For many families this has been therapeutic, enjoying summer nights after a stressful COVID quarantine. We needed a little fun and escape from the indoors!
However, now as we prepare for the fall and back-to-school (whatever that might look like for your family this year), we are starting to feel the toll on quality and quantity of sleep. We want to get our children on some sort of schedule or routine, we want to start sleeping better knowing school is approaching and whether your children are physically attending school, you’ve opted for pod learning or online learning, getting the family back on track can be difficult. It’s necessary, however, so you all feel not only rested but organized and let’s face it, humans love routine, we love predictability and guess what…babies and children THRIVE on it!
So let’s get you back on track with some easy steps you can start implementing ahead of time, to make the transition as easy as possible:
Plan for it. Get on the same page. The entire family needs to understand what the fall will look like. Partners sitting down to discuss what they want to change to feel at ease, families sitting down and discussing what “back-to-school” looks like this year. It’s important to communicate expectations and goals together before anything changes.
Manage emotions and stressors. There is a lot of stress around COVID, around what to do to keep your family safe, whether to go back, whether to keep kids home…it’s ALOT.
Parents are stressed and therefore children are stressed, it even affects your babies and toddlers! And guess what, that most definitely impacts sleep. Stress signals the body’s fight or flight response and our bodies are not designed to sleep when we are in “danger”. Worrying thoughts also flood our minds and make it impossible to clear our minds enough to achieve sleep. And then it becomes a vicious cycle because lack of sleep also brings on anxiety at the same time. Evidence suggests that sleeping problems are not only a symptom of anxiety but can cause it.
“Instead, sleep deprivation can instigate or worsen anxiety disorders. Researchers have found that people who are prone to anxiety are especially sensitive to the effects of insufficient sleep, which can provoke symptoms of anxiety.”
This is not only the case for parents but stress levels are passed on to children as they sense everything you’re feeling. Even how you talk about “back-to-school”, COVID and anxieties can affect them. If you are worried, anxious, frustrated, they will feel it and sleep will be harder to achieve for all. So try to keep the conversation about the fall positive at least in front of the kids, toddlers, and even babies. This will lessen their anxiety. They are sponges.
3. Start adjusting schedules now. Slowly start to adjust your little one’s schedule. They are likely sleeping later, bedtimes have been pushed back and they are sleeping in later (although if they are overtired, they may be experiencing early morning wake-ups).
Circadian Rhythms have shifted, not only because of a lack of routine but because the biggest signal to the body of when it should be awake and when it should be sleeping is all over the place: LIGHT.
You don’t have to shift everything cold turkey but you can begin bringing bedtimes up by just 15 min every 3 days, waking baby/toddler/child up at the same time each day and exposing them to natural light during times of wakefulness (desired wake up time) and dim the lights during wind downs and bedtimes. This also helps with melatonin production and over time sleep cycles will shift. This also means shutting down electronics at least an hour before sleep to reduce blue light exposure which has a HUGE effect on sleep and the onset of sleep. TV also has a huge effect on emotions, stress, anxiety and can make sleep harder in addition to the blue light so it’s best to shut it off and give yourself and your little time to relax.
4. Start consistent bedtime routines and wind downs before naps. All of us need a wind down before sleep. All humans including you. Even if you don’t think you have one, do you brush your teeth? Get into your comfy pj’s? wash your face? adjust your pillow? spend a few minutes lounging? That is a wind-down and pre-sleep ritual that help us relax and transition to a calmer state that brings about sleep.
It’s important to establish one for your little one, before naps and bedtime. They can look however you want them to look but the key is to do the same thing every time, consistency is key here not what you do.
Dimming the lights will also help to set that relaxing state for everyone. Start that now, get used to that and you’ll find that sleep happens quicker and with fewer battles.
5. Work on sleep. If your little one is not sleeping well, not getting enough day sleep and waking up frequently at night, well this is the time to fix that so that you’re not exacerbating stress during a time of transition.
Yes, I said fix because you can improve ANY sleep situation. It’s just about choosing to do the work to change it and reaching out for support with sleep.
Having a plan on how to get your babe sleeping is key and if you don’t invest with time and support then change will be unlikely. Your little one is not too young, old, too stubborn and you haven’t done anything wrong! Change is about learning and when you learn you improve, so no mom guilt here. Permit yourself to prioritize sleep for yourself and the entire family. I promise you you will say “why didn’t I do this sooner!”.
Reach out to me for a step by step plan, support, and guidance as you get your sleep back on track so you can manage any transitions with ease!
You are their rock so stay strong and grounded and believe that you are WORTH IT!
Lil xx
