Sleep My Child Sleep: A Freely Given Audio Recording

I just can’t sleep

I have had several parents approach me this year sharing that their children are having problems getting to sleep. The child has become stressed and anxious wanting to get to sleep but it is elusive. I wanted to share some ideas that have been helpful in my own home with my boys and for families I have coached in the past.

• Acknowledge what your child is going through. Share about times you have had difficulties and maybe share that even if difficulties were not resolved right away, it will get better.

• Have your child observe if he/she has any knowledge about the situation that could lead to solutions. Do they notice a difference in thoughts and actions on the nights that they can sleep vs. those they cannot?

• Journaling thoughts that are obtruding or generally cluttering the brain can help the child become less anxious. If they are too little or do not like to write, have them speak them into a recording device.

• The best sleep aid I ever found was a progressive relaxation practice every night. My sons looked forward to me coming in and gently guiding them through the various body parts and relaxing them one by one. We rarely even got to the head and they were fast asleep. I suggest you let go of “sleep” as a goal and tune into your child’s breath while becoming very calm and relaxed yourself. (I can’t tell you the times we fell asleep together! I guess I needed more sleep too.) Click here for a guided relaxation that I created. You can use it or make up one yourself. This recording is called “Sleep My Child Sleep.”  It is freely given.  Enjoy!
• Free Audio Click Here
• You may want to play it to yourself before sharing with your child to see if it is a fit.

• Even if they cannot sleep after this, the benefits of deep relaxation are immense. My sixteen year old recently came to me after a very stressful day and lay on the carpet in the living room. He closed his eyes and I gently guided him to relax. His mind and body totally remembered the techniques from when he was a little boy and within minutes he was off into a deep slumber.

• Sometimes a relaxing scent like lavender or chamomile diffused in the room can relax the body. And now a study at Wesleyan University by Dr. Namni Goel shows that there is a scientific basis to lavender’s medicinal properties. The study showed that after smelling lavender essential oil before bed, participants experienced an increased amount of time spent in slow-wave sleep, the restful and restorative sleep phase. More information here.

• Often a warm bath will relax the body and set the stage for sleep.

• Of course daily exercise, a good diet, turning off electronics early in the evening, and relaxation techniques go a long way to helping get a goodnight sleep. You might also check with your physician to see if your child has any underlying health issues.