Sleep is an essential part of your health overall. While homeschoolers can set their own schedules, they too can suffer from not enough sleep if they aren’t careful. Symptoms of sleep deprivation can vary from high blood pressure to mood swings and mental clarity; there are some steps families can take to improve their sleep hygiene. What is sleep hygiene? It refers to having healthy sleep habits and concentrating on what you do before hitting the hay. Sleep hygiene considers what you eat, your schedule, and bedtime routines to help build healthy habits to catch quality zzzs.

Here are some tips to help your family build excellent sleep hygiene.

Reinforce your body’s natural clock by going to sleep and waking up at about the same time each day. Yes, this includes weekends. Think of it as training your body when to sleep and wake.

Make a relaxing bedtime routine that you can stick with. You want to teach your children to unwind before bed, so start their bedtime routine 30 to 60 minutes before lights out. Avoid devices that emit blue lights such as a tablet, phone, computer as these keep our minds too active and can reduce the melatonin levels in the body. Instead, try reading a paper book, a warm bath or shower, listening to calming worship music, drinking a cup of herbal tea, or writing in a journal. Anything that helps avoid overstimulating and stress.

Exercise regularly. Yes! Exercise is good for every body! You don’t have to pump iron or run a marathon to get results. Instead, just 1/2 hour a day of some movement is enough to reap the benefits of a better night’s sleep.

Make your sleep area just for sleep. Avoid making a habit of watching tv or doing school work on the bed. Also, for optimal rest, the best bedroom is usually a quiet, cool, dark room. Investing in blackout curtains is also helpful.

Stress and anxiety are also two things that can prevent anyone from getting a good night’s sleep. So, you may want to get in the habit of writing down your worries to get them out of your head before turning in.

Praying and listening to worship music are great things to do before bedtime and will aid in peaceful sleep.

So, whether you’ve been practicing good sleep habits or just starting, sleep hygiene is for everyone! Behaviors during the day and around bedtime can affect the quality of sleep. Sleep is a vital component in overall health and needs to be learned early.

What is your family’s bedtime routine?

You can check out the many homeschooling resources at Rainbow Resource Center!