Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
“THEY’RE COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED and it has huge implications.”
A new toolkit has been launched this week aiming to address poor sleep habits among young people.
The Sleep Programme, funded by the National Youth Council of Ireland, provides teachers and youth workers with the tools to support young adults to improve or maintain their sleep routine by addressing stress, diet, physical activity, and drug and alcohol use.
The programme, available to download online here, has five different modules to complete – the introduction, sleep hygiene, stress and sleep, physical activity, and evaluation.
Each module has various different activities that the participant should complete. For example, meditation and group discussion on the participant’s sleep habits.
[image alt="sdf" src="http://cdn.thejournal.ie/media/2018/03/sdf-3-296x310.jpg" width="296" height="310" credit-source="The%20Sleep%20Programme" class="alignnone" /end]
Creation of the programme
Fiona Creedon, a Youth Development Officer with Crosscare told TheJournal.ie that herself and her team have found over the years that many teenagers they work with have serious sleep deprivation issues.
“We found they were presenting exhausted. They are completely exhausted and getting in trouble in school as a result of it. It has huge implications,” Creedon said.
Creedon said in a statement that with the rise in popularity of social media and mobile technology, it is now more common for young people to be staying up later.
“We know that poor sleep in young people is linked to difficulties at school and maintaining healthy relationships with their families and peers.
The purpose of The Sleep Programme is to support young people to improve their sleep routine. A healthy sleep routine will help them realise their maximum potential now and in the future.
Participants
The team behind the programme has run about five pilot programmes of the new project.
One participant of the pilot programmes, Shannon Lambert, aged 15, said: “I’ve learned a lot about things I can do in the evening to make sure I get a better night’s sleep, things like not using my phone for at least an hour before I go to bed and ways of managing anxious thoughts that might keep me awake.”
Creedon said that there is a “fear of missing out” among today’s young people when it comes to social media use.
“There is an addiction there. There’s a fear of missing out. Some of the young people we’ve worked with, their sleeping pattern is affected by anxiety,” she said.
The Sleep Programme is going to start a conversation about the importance of sleep because it is as important as food or exercise for our bodies.
“It’s a very user-friendly programme. It’s not a clinical piece. It’s there to educate and to show young people tips and different things they can do to relax.”
The Sleep Programme is a joint initiative between the HSE, Tusla’s School Completion Programme and Crosscare’s East Wicklow Youth Service.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
The main memory I have of my final 3 years in school was how I was absolutely knackered every day. I’ve worked a lot of long days as an adult but never felt as tired as I did after a full day in school, followed by 2/3 hours of homework.
@Richie Smith: agree myself working full time two kids and when I spend my downtime in evenings studying I am shattered the next day (ie today) takes ages to switch off and once asleep quality is poor but needs must to get me through exam season looking forward to a lie in, in June…..
@Richie Smith: You must not be doing too much work nowdays!
@Richie Smith: yes and pile that on top of up on your phone half the night. Has to be bad
They’re probably worried about where they’re gonna live when they grow up!
Recent studies have shown that teenagers sleep cycle is different to those of younger children and to those of adults. They tend to be wide awake later in the evening (even without technology distraction) and sleepier in the morning. It’s particularly a problem in countries like USA where many schools start at 7:30am. Even in this country, delaying secondary school start time from 8:30 to 9:30 would benefit teenagers, not to mention break up commute rush hour
@Alan Lawlor: problem is parents still need to go to work, so can’t drop kids at 9.30. If they walk they would still have to be up at the same time they are now!
@Lily: maybe you are in some rural/remote area, but in cities, a secondary school kid will get to school quicker on a bike than being brought by car. The kid’s health benefits from it, as do the clogged roads
Limit tv channels to the God channel and make the kids listen to a 8 hour mass. That should work.
They won’t go to bed and they won’t turn off the bloody mobile phones, their brains are frazzled at night time.
Had to mind my two nephews for the weekend recently, 11 and 13 and I swear to God I nearly cracked up trying to get them to switch off the phones. At 2am I had enough so I gave them a few clatters, wrestled the phones off them and locked them in the bedroom.
I HAD ENOUGH.
Wasn’t looking forward to seeing my brother and his missus the next day so I warned them that if they snitched on me they’d never get a red cent from me again.
@David Sinclair: “clatters” – child abuse
Parents fault!
@Gavin Huban: What do you do to ensure your kids get a full sleep?
@Pat Bateman: I don’t know, but this sounds like a joke?…..tell us!
More useless Quangos. This information is available all over the web. Justifying their petty existence.
@wacker macker: Agree probably well funded -to tell teachers to tell parents to tell their kids to go to bed. Common sense.
Ok… put… your…..phone…..dowwwwwnnnnn…
have your say