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Sleep Hygiene, Part 2
April 23, 2009 |
Kaylee Cornwell is a vibrant, energetic young girl. But that energy would never
seem to let up. “I used to have a TV in here and I wouldn’t go to sleep and that
makes me really tired in the morning,” says Kaylee.
She admits she would try to fall asleep in her room, but couldn’t and that would
leave her cranky and irritable during the day. “I was trying to close my eyes but
my favorite part was on so I just watched it to the end and I was trying to sleep
but I was too afraid of the mirror.” This mirror, the popular mirror that spoke
back in the Snow White fairy tale, was one of many child-friendly things that spooked
Kaylee. “The closet is not scary but the ball with my Ariel on it, it’s right there
in my toy box, sometimes it freaks me out,” says Kaylee.
Dr. Jose Colon, a pediatric sleep specialist
at The Children's Hospital says it’s
the toys and electronics that could be the reason many kids like Kaylee are having
trouble sleeping. “What ends up happening is that this is the place where you hang
out in all the time, the place where you are all the time, and not the place where
you sleep and sometimes, what happens is, because this is the place we do so many
things, yes, we don’t sleep very well, then we associate the bed with, ‘this is
the place where I cannot sleep’.”
Dr. Colon recommended the Cornwells clean up Kaylee’s room and remove the electronics
and clutter. “We cleared out a mirror, which she felt was causing issues, which
is kind of an alarming mirror. We cleared out the DVD’s, tons and tons of toys she
had - to a bare minimum,” says Kaylee’s father, Justin. The doctor also prescribed
calming activities just before bedtime such as reading, even watching her fish in
her bedroom, nothing that will cause too much stimulation. “What we try to do is
move some of these things outside of the room. If you can do your homework on the
kitchen table, if there’s a separate room where we can do study work or like a library.
If you can play the videogames in a separate room, in the living room, even a den,”
adds Dr. Colon.
“Sometimes my mommy comes in here, and reads a book and I read a book to myself
when I go to bed. It makes me sleepy, though! I’ll put the book down on my face
and sleep like that,” adds Kaylee.
The family says the changes in the bedroom are working. “It’s so nice to be able
to walk in. ‘Kaylee, come on, time to get up! Time to go!’ And she gets up,” admits
Justin. A simple bedroom makeover that could help the entire family gets a good
night’s rest.
Electronics are not only a kid problem; they can be an adult problem too. Doctors
recommend you shut off the TV and computer 30 minutes before bedtime and
keep it
out of the bedroom for optimum shut-eye.
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