Host: Dr. Tara Egan
Co-host: Anna, teen daughter
Guest Expert:  Dr. Kristin Daley, Licensed Psychologist, Diplomat of Behavior Sleep Medicine

Today we welcome a fantastic guest, her name is Dr. Kristin Daley and she is a clinician at Base Cognitive Behavioral Therapy & Consultation in Charlotte, NC. She has a PHD in Clinical Health Psychology, and is a Specialist  in Behavioral Sleep. She is the go to person for myself and my colleagues when we have a client that  is really struggling with sleep and seeing consequences, such as doing poorly in school or behavioral issues.

Dr. Daley is here today to discuss with us how to instill healthy sleep habits in our children and teens. We started out talking about  what  healthy sleep looks like and why it is so important  -  Dr. Daley says that sleep is not one size fits all, we all have a different metabolisms for sleep. What is important is to understand your unique metabolism for sleep.

We discuss:

Consequences of not sleeping.

We need sleep to repair tissue, redistribution of neurotransmitters active during the day, chance for the brain to get caught up in brain health, immune system activity, If you disrupt someone's sleep, they are more vulnerable to get an infection than someone that got a full night's sleep. The more you think, worry and try to control not sleeping, the worse it becomes. With parents and kids, it can be a huge source of battle. The earlier you intervene in sleep, the better off the child is.

The more access to devices in their room, the more likely kids are to have disruptive sleep and focus during the day.

What can parents do to set the stage for success early on?

-Disconnect sleep from eating or drinking.

-Have children adapted to sleeping in the dark, as dark as possible.

We talk extensively about co-sleeping with kids and the challenges, suggestions, and studies done.

Answers to questions such as:
 How our brain functions  affected by sleep, lack of sleep? How do we support our kids internalize it and prioritize sleep themselves? How can putting controls in place and prioritizing sleep for the family can make a huge difference.

Lastly, we discuss signs and symptoms to look for to know if you kids need extra support or even professional support for their sleep behaviors.

To learn more about Dr. Kristin Daley's Service, visit her website, www.findyourbase.com.
Check out her podcast, "The Curious Mother."

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