For Professionals | Restful Kids

Are you seeing a lack of progress due to kiddos frequently coming in tired or falling asleep during session? Are parents telling you their child has sleep issues but you aren't sure if targeting sleep is within your scope? With an estimated 50-80% of children with autism having sleep problems, behavior analysts are seeing the effects of too little sleep on a daily basis. Luckily, behavior analysts also have all the necessary skills to improve things. Let's work together to get your clients sleeping more and their progress back on track.

Grown-ups Need a Bedtime Too

There’s a large amount of evidence showing that keeping a consistent sleep schedule is incredibly important for a variety of health outcomes. Regular schedules are associated with improvements in alertness, health and safety behaviors, inflammation, mental health, cognitive performance, academic performance, sleep duration, and sleep quality. On the other hand, irregular sleep schedules have been linked to worse health outcomes across the board. Even so, sticking to a consist

Lindsay Anderson

2 days ago4 min read

5 Simple Ways to Boost Your Brain Health While You Sleep

Just like every other part of our bodies, our brains need nutrients to do their work each day. But after using those nutrients for fuel, excess waste is left behind. That’s where the clean-up crew comes in, known as the glymphatic system, which was discovered relatively recently. This system is most active while we’re sleeping, especially during deep sleep, and works by transporting fluid to help wash waste out of the brain each night. If this system isn’t working properly, l

Lindsay Anderson

Apr 213 min read

5 Types of Rest You Might Be Missing (Even If You’re Sleeping Enough)

When we say we’re tired, most of us mean we haven’t been getting enough sleep. We start dreaming about a vacation where we do nothing but sleep for a week. But it’s also true that we can feel completely exhausted even when we are getting enough sleep. And even if we did get that extra week to sleep in, it might not actually make us feel better. That’s because sleep is only one type of rest. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, a board certified internal medicine physician and work-life

Lindsay Anderson

Apr 153 min read

4 Everyday Habits That Are Disrupting Kids’ Sleep

Sleep challenges are one of the most common concerns families experience, yet many of the biggest barriers are happening in everyday routines and often go unaddressed. As BCBAs, we’re in a unique position to notice these patterns because we typically have more consistent face time with families than many other providers. That gives us an opportunity to gently bring up sleep, provide some basic education, and help families connect the dots between sleep and their child’s progr

Lindsay Anderson

Apr 73 min read

5 Myths About Sleep (and what to do instead)

There are tons of beliefs about sleep that have been around forever. Some are actually helpful, like the old advice to “sleep on it,” which can give you a fresh perspective the next day. But others, like “I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” can be pretty harmful to our health. In honor of April Fools’ Day, we’re looking at some common sleep myths and how we can reframe them in a way that actually supports better rest. Myth #1 : Everyone needs exactly 8 hours of sleep Sleep needs are h

Lindsay Anderson

Mar 313 min read

Why Spring Is Messing With Your Sleep (And What to Do About It)

Last Friday was the official start of spring, and after such a long, cold winter, it’s definitely a welcome relief to be coming out on the other side. But changes in daylight and weather can also bring changes to our sleep. Researchers have found that during the spring, people have an average wake time that is 25 minutes earlier and a sleep duration that is 25 minutes shorter compared to winter. That's almost 3 hours less sleep per week! So if you’ve been feeling a little ext

Lindsay Anderson

Mar 252 min read

Sleep Coaching

Grown-ups Need a Bedtime Too

5 Simple Ways to Boost Your Brain Health While You Sleep

5 Types of Rest You Might Be Missing (Even If You’re Sleeping Enough)

4 Everyday Habits That Are Disrupting Kids’ Sleep

5 Myths About Sleep (and what to do instead)

Why Spring Is Messing With Your Sleep (And What to Do About It)

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