Although sleep isn’t always the most exciting topic, health experts agree that getting enough high-quality sleep is a key component of overall wellness. This episode asserts that healthy sleep can support SLPs in being effective in their work, and it offers top sleep tips for SLPs.
The episode’s first sleep tip is all about the importance of keeping a consistent sleep schedule, so that you get up and go to sleep at the same time each day. Although this strategy is simple, it isn’t easy, and there are obstacles that can get in the way, including “revenge procrastination,” which involves staying up late in order to have more relaxation time in the evening.
Next, the episode acknowledges the importance of helping our children get good sleep as well, and includes a selection of tips designed to be useful for both kids and adults. They include:
- Prioritizing sleep consistency
- Implementing a wind-down routine
- Optimizing the wind-down routine timing
The episode then moves into a discussion of the interplay between light exposure and sleep, with a specific focus on blue light. It emphasizes that blue light is not inherently bad, but that it does cause us to be more alert. This means that for optimal sleep, we should maximize our exposure to blue light in the morning, and minimize our exposure to blue light in the evening.
Next, the episode talks about the importance of getting out of bed if you aren’t able to sleep. If we spend too much time laying in bed awake, our brains can start to associate bed with wakefulness. This idea is a key component of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), which is a research-based insomnia treatment that needs to be guided by a professional.
The episode closes with a look at the interplay between stress and anxiety and sleep difficulties. It’s possible to get into a challenging cycle where we can’t sleep because we’re anxious, and then we’re anxious because we can’t sleep. One intervention that can disrupt this cycle is spending time before bed writing down our sources of stress and anxiety.
If you’re looking for engaging, interactive, and time-saving speech therapy materials that both students and SLPs will love, check out what the Digital SLP® membership site has to offer, or sign up for our 30-day free trial for instant access to more than 2000 engaging, high-quality resources. Our TPT store is also available!
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Wind-Down Podcasts:
Boring Books for Bedtime
Get Sleepy
Northwoods Baseball Sleep Radio
Nothing Much Happens
Phoebe Reads a Mystery
Relax with Animal Facts
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