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Children with chronic sleep disorders benefit from additional hours of rest and mood relief through an innovative NHS intensive care program.
Families struggling with severe sleep disorders have seen major improvements with one-hour bedtime, a ban on soft drinks in the evenings, and the removal of toys and electronics from bedrooms.
In the pre-bedtime, children are also not allowed to watch television, use their phone or computer; instead, they do more soothing activities such as puzzles, games or board games.
Sheffield health professionals are now using this method to help 800 families in which a child sleeps only four to five hours a night. NHS England's head of mental health calls the initiative a "life transformation".
An evaluation study shows that children on the diet sleep an average of 2.4 hours more per night. They also eat healthier, do better in school and are less likely to take hormone supplements to help them sleep, he discovered.
Heather Elphick, pediatric sleep medicine consultant at Sheffield Children's Hospital, said parents' lives were also improved because they were less concerned about their child's sleep.
Claire Murdoch, NHS England Director of Mental Health, said: "Common sense and effective measures like this can offer a practical and revolutionary boost to millions of people."
NHS staff has partnered with the Sheffield Board and the Children's Children's Sleep Association to help families in which a child has sleep difficulties related to ADHD or other disorders, trauma, adoption or foster care. After a pilot project conducted in 2016 with 40 families, the technique was extended to all vulnerable children in the city.
Families meet a nurse or health visitor and then start implementing an action plan at home. They then receive a weekly phone call from a health professional to check progress and offer additional advice.
"It's very difficult to get children to adapt to the new routine," added Elphick. "Many parents have read online articles about solving children's sleep problems, but have failed. This program takes two to three weeks of perseverance and it often gets worse before it improves.
"But it's not a complex invention. Yes, this is largely a good parenting practice. The children involved are now sleeping faster, and many say that their mood has gone from "grumpy" to "happy" with a good night's sleep. Many of their parents say that their quality of life and well-being have improved and that they have a better relationship with their child. "
Heather Elphick, child sleep expert, suggests …
• Make sure that bedtime and waking are uniform even on weekends.
• Plan a relaxing routine one hour before bedtime with, for example, puzzles, coloring or modeling clay.
• Stop using the screens an hour before bedtime and keep the devices out of the room all night.
• Avoid energy drinks and caffeine products from noon.
• Make the room calm and comfortable, not stimulating.
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