Supporting Our Children to Sleep Well for Better Performance – A conversation with James Wilson (The Sleep Geek)

James does a great job in dispelling a few myths and helping us all feel better about the challenges we face as well as giving us a few tips to help point us in the right direction.

During the conversation they discuss amongst other things:

• The importance of quality sleep and embedding it across whole sporting environments
• The benefits of higher quality sleep as opposed to focussing on the quantity of sleep
• Trying not to be too prescriptive when discussing sleep with our children
• Understanding that sleep is a feeling rather than a number
• Setting a sleep time that fits with our children’s body rhythm
• Setting a realistic and thought out bedtime routine with our children rather than enforcing strict rules
• Having compassionate conversations and recognising that our teenagers may need to go to bed later than us
• Using light boxes and sunshine alarm clocks to help our children have effective wake ups
• Working towards a consistency of sleep
• Using ‘naps’ in a positive way
• Effective tools for setting up a healthy bedtime routine
• Helping our children not to get too stressed if their sleep the night before and after competition is not as effective as the rest of the week
• The importance of effective mattresses, pillows and duvets as well as thinking about our body positions when sleeping