Is
Lack of Sleep Making Your Anxious Kids Worse?
Almost every
anxious child has sleep issues. This is not a freaky coincidence. Child anxiety and sleep deprivation are
best buddies. They feed off of each other. They like to snuggle up and keep
each other warm. Sleep deprivation wreaks havoc on most children’s mood,
but it can make anxious kids implode!
It is a vicious
cycle that gains momentum as time goes by. Worries keeps
anxious kids up. It keeps them checking under their beds and staring at
dark shadows. It keeps them obsessing over worries. It keeps them hyper
vigilant and pumped full of adrenaline.
Sleep and anxious kids do not
mix. Ask any exhausted parent of an anxious child.
When anxious
kids start their day with only a few hours of sleep, they are exhausted,
irritated and more vulnerable to heightened levels of anxiety. This ironic
cycle seems almost cruel. The last thing children with anxiety need is more
anxiety!
So how do you
stop this vicious cycle and give your child the upper hand? You start by
stacking the deck in your favor. You tackle the issues that are causing your
child to not get enough sleep. You break up the relationship between sleep
deprivation and anxiety. They shouldn’t be friends anyway, right?
For
starters let’s cover the obvious:
Anxious kids
need a sleep schedule. Make a
bedtime and stick to it, even on weekends if possible.
Make a bedtime routine. Routines are comforting and will help your child
transition to sleep better.
Now
for the true issues…
1.
Uncover Any Fears in the Bedroom
Sit in your
child’s dark bedroom and ask them what scares them the most at night. Get rid
of scary shadows, innocent toys that turn spooky at night and black spaces that
freak your child out.
Close closet
doors, remove scary dolls and everything and anything you can think of to make
the room feel safer. Don’t try to rationalize your child’s fears at this point,
just remove what is triggering.
2.
Prepare the Brain for Sleep
Kids with
anxiety often fill their bodies with cortisol and adrenaline as bedtime looms
closer. Especially if they are overwhelmed with nighttime fears.
Help your child
by taking these steps:
Unplug your
child from technology thirty minutes before bedtime. Bright screens can alert
your child’s circadian rhythm that it is still daytime. They don’t need that!
Use sound machines or relaxing
music to help your child move into a state of calmness. It also helps block out
any noises that might trigger your child’s anxiety. Many families I work with
will also use guided imagery
CDs for children.
Use lavender spray on your
child’s pillow to encourage relaxation and a fitful sleep.
3.
Help Anxious Kids Develop a Sleep World
Bedtime is
anxiety’s favorite time of the day. When else can anxiety have your child’s
full attention? The stage is set. All is quiet. Your child is a captive
audience. Worry after worry is presented to your child. Noises are
misinterpreted. Words from the day are analyzed. Mysterious aches are
misdiagnosed.
Your child needs
help blocking out these nighttime worries that can quickly spiral out of
control and cause sleep deprivation.
Teach
your Kids Visual Imagery
Ask them what
their favorite thing is and create a world around it. Many kids I work with
choose a candy world. Older kids like forest or ocean worlds. Have them
describe their world. What does it look like? Sound like? Smell like? Taste
like? The more real the world becomes, the more effective it will be at night.
Have them create
a few activities in their new world. Do they go play with their rainbow
puppies? Do they ride up the candy rainbow to sit on the cotton candy clouds?
Do they paint the houses with colored frosting?
Each night
before they go to sleep, have them close their eyes and tell you a bit about
their world. You want them to always visit the same world so it becomes easier
and easier to imagine.
As time goes on
you can just prompt your kids to “go to their world” when you put them to bed.
This will help distract them from their worries and put them in a relaxed state
of mind for sleep.
Sleep
deprivation can impact us all, but unfortunately, it can throw anxious kids
into a tailspin. Take these steps to ensure your anxious
kids feel safe and their minds are busy. This can help minimize the
vicious cycle of sleep deprivation and anxiety – a nasty duo for sure!
How does your
anxious child act when they don’t get enough sleep? What do you do to help
them?
Do you know
someone who struggles to get their anxious kids to sleep? Share these tips with
them.
Natasha Daniels,
LCSW - Dec 26, 2016
Source: http://special-ism.com
Posted by Kids Are Special in STRESS / ANXIETY
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