Our Services

The most common problems that children have are related to settling to sleep and/or, an inability to fall asleep or remain asleep. These problems can include nocturnal confusion, night terrors, sleep walking and talking, sleep apnoea, nightmares and behaviour disorders. Sometimes these are simple and straightforward but they can also be a complicated mix of problems.
It is important to distinguish these disorders from gastro-oesophageal reflux, epilepsy, obstructive sleep apnoea and panic attacks.

In order to resolve these issues it is important that they are correctly identified.
Therefore when you contact us we will work with you by;-

• Taking a detailed health and sleep history, including the completion of Sleep Diaries.
• Help you to identify priorities and targets
• Develop an individual practical plan to resolve these issues
• Support you while you implement the plan

 When you contact us  (more detail)

The desired outcome is that your child and family can have a more restful night.

If you would like a free copy of the “Golden rules” which tell you how to set the scene for a good nights sleep, or, take our self assessment questionaire.
You have nothing to lose and a good nights sleep to gain.

As our experience in working with families and children is extensive we can also offer advice and support on issues such as :-

1. Weaning/fussy eating
   
2. Toilet training

A similar process is involved in dealing with these issues. Where “fussy eating” is a problem it can be useful to see what happens at meal times as well as taking a detailed history. Following discussion with you, priorities are identified and a plan of action agreed. For more information please contact us.

We will not share any of your details with third parties. Our services are personal and confidential. Unless you specifically require us to share any of your information with another health professional or significant/relevant other, we will not do so.

The Five Stages of Sleep

The first stage of sleep is the awareness of being tired. Even small babies show signs of this by rubbing their eyes, pulling their ears or staring into space. Muscle activity slows down and there may be occasional twitching. This phase lasts only a few minutes.
Stage two the breathing and heart rate slow and body temperature decreases slightly.
Stage three marks the beginning of deep sleep. The brain generates slow delta waves.
Stage four is very deep sleep. Breathing is rhythmic there is very little muscle activity and the brain is still showing slow long wave (delta wave) signals.
Stage Five is Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Brainwaves speed up dreaming occurs, muscles relax and heart rate increases. Breathing is rapid but shallow.
A baby takes between 45 -60 minutes to enjoy a complete sleep cycle including all these stages, as the child grows this extends to the adult cycle of 90 minutes. As we pass from one stage to the other we may become lighter and turn over or change position. Babies and children also have this pattern, but are more easily roused at these intervals. Children need to learn not to wake at these intervals of lighter sleep and, once they have learned to self soothe, they can return to sleep without the presence of an adult .

Babies of less than a year old should have two sleep cycles as a nap time. Therefore a nap should be about 1.5 to 2 hours long. Infants spend more time asleep than awake but as they grow and become more interested in the world they should have two naps a day. Once they are a year old the first nap is generally missed and an afternoon nap is sufficient. Once they reach 2-3 years this nap is also omitted unless the day has been a particularly active one.