BU Psychologist works with local school to improve children's sleep patterns
1 July 2010
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Dr Andrew Mayers from the Psychology Group at BU takes on children's deprived sleep issues at local school, Winton Primary. |
Dr Mayers, a psychologist from the Psychology Group at BU and member of the British Sleep Society, has been researching sleep patterns and the relationship between sleep and depression for over ten years.
His extensive knowledge and understanding in the field of sleep psychology has proven to be an invaluable resource for one of the local primary schools in the region. After one of the teachers noticed that children were regularly tired in class, often affecting their concentration, the school's parent support worker contacted Dr Mayers at BU to help tackle the issue. Joined by a family support outreach worker and a year 2 class teacher, Dr Mayers visited the school to help deliver a sleep workshop.
The aim of the workshop was to provide support to parents and children in establishing a settled bed routine, ensuring they would get a stable and adequate amount of sleep each night. Dr Mayers gave several recommendations, including the introduction of organised routines, wind-down time before bed and rewards for good sleep patterns. He also informed parents that sleep patterns should not be changed by more than an hour at weekends and during holidays.
Dr Mayers comments "Regular and consistent sleep is essential for children - about 10 hours each night for most schoolchildren. A lack of sleep can result in poor attention and performance in school, behavioural problems, and disruption to family life. On the positive side, the whole family can work together to establish good sleep routine." With the first workshop proving to be such a huge a success and worthwhile exercise for families, the school is now planning to host another similar event in the future.
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