Good Sleep Hygiene

Host: What would be some guidelines you can give, that you should do before bed time to get the kid going for better sleep. Is something he shouldn't have your T.V. on, T.V. Off, surrounding quiet, should the light be dim. What are some tips could you give to helping coach better sleep? Guest: Sure, so, the best thing you can do is to have what we call good sleep hygiene. Have a routine. Have a restful routine. We don't recommend having a T.V. in the bedroom at all because it is a form of stimulation and at a time when you are really trying to relax and sleep, it's not a good idea. Some parents may feel like oh! Well he or she can't fall asleep without the T.V. But I think, in general, you will see that the child, once they are used to a certain routine and stick to a routine, that they may actually sleep better without the T.V. Host: What about reading to the kid. Is that helpful a little bit? Guest: Sure that's all part of a routine, a bed time routine, which, I highly recommend, whether it's getting the child the bath and then reading the child a story and then turning or dimming out the light. Host: So it's still like cutting the light down a little bit -- oh! It's getting close to the time, I have to go to sleep. Guest: Exactly and so following a routine repeatedly will train the child to actually relax, both, their mind and their body and get into a state of mind wherein they will relax and hopefully fall asleep. Host: You, as a sleep disorder expert, what would be a tip-off that maybe, you should come to a sleep disorder expert like you? Guest: If you are having problems with your child initiating, maintaining sleep to the point where it's disrupting your daily function or the child's daily function because the child not sleeping well often means the whole household is not sleeping well. So when it reaches points of that severity, then I would say that yes it's absolutely -- you should talk first to your primary care physician, your pediatrician and then appropriately they may give you some advice, if not, if they feel that you need to seek consultation with a sleep specialist then at that point, I think we would be more than happy -- Host: Some kids have been diagnosed with Attention-deficit disorder and sometimes it might be a sleep deprivation disorder than manifest the issue, is that true? Guest: Well, to be diagnosed with Attention-deficit disorder, I think it's important for it to be a very objective diagnosis with rigorous nerves, psychological in testing to occur, not just observation making the diagnosis because yes, a sleep deprived child can appear to have Attention-deficit disorder, but -- Host: So there could be some kids that will have Attention-deficit disorder allegedly might be more sleep deprived or a combination of everything. Guest: Exactly or if the child may have Attention-deficit disorder that has been objectively tested by neuropsychological testing and that can be exasperated by sleep deprivation. Host: So this is, little bit of this and a little bit of that. Guest: Exactly but the child symptoms can actually worsen.