What We're Reading Now
Sleep Hygiene Advice from a 10-Year Old
5 August 2014
Allison read her nephew’s first Allison Partners What We’re Reading Now blog post and is excited to share his advice on how kids and grown-ups can get a better night’s sleep.
Tags: allison read, balance, georgeiv read, sleep
My nephew, George Edward Linney, IV, came to visit me in Charlottesville last week. We had a blast! He went to Triple C Camp every day where he won the Most Enthusiastic camper award in his group of 10-year olds. (I’m more than a little proud of him.)
We also had all sorts of fun each night and on the weekend before we flew to Asheville, NC, where I dropped him off at my childhood summer spot, Eagle’s Nest Camp. There’s very little I enjoy more than hanging out with this super smart, funny, kind, and thoughtful kid. He’s also one of my favorite writers and earlier this year I blogged about his poem, Running!
George will be the first to tell you that sometimes he has a hard time getting to sleep and that he often wakes up in the middle of the night thinking about all sorts of things. On his first night with me, I gave him a book Rachel picked out for him at one of our favorite local shops, Telegraph. Then he read all of my blog posts about sleep and we had a lot of conversations about good sleep hygiene. It is with great pleasure that I present to you George’s first Allison Partners blog post. Prepare to be educated…
George read Nocturne: Dream Recipes by Isol and is glad to have a new plan for putting himself to sleep.
I think sleep is very important especially for young children like me. My aunt Allison writes a lot of blog posts about sleep and good sleep hygiene. Last Monday, I got a book called Nocturne: Dream Recipes by Isol. How it works is that every night you pick a dream that the book has for you. Then you put it under a bright light and quietly stare at it for a couple of minutes. While I’m staring at the dream I picked for the night, I also do my Aunt Allison’s breathing exercise. All you do is breathe in and breathe out and then tell yourself you are relaxing.
When you’re done staring at the dream and breathing, you turn off the light and the dream will glow with new pictures you can only see in the dark. I like all the dreams, but my favorite is the dream underwater. This book has helped me sleep a lot better because usually I wake up in the middle of the night and now I don’t. So even if you’re a grown-up you should get this book. – GEL IV
Based on what he read in my blog posts and our discussions, George said that he’s going to do a better job of putting himself to sleep and that he doesn’t need his parents to tell him it’s time to go to bed. He told me he’s going to stop watching TV before bed and go to his room on his own 30 minutes before bedtime. (George said that would really shock his mom and dad!) He’s going to brush his teeth, read for a little while, and then pick a dream from his new book.
What’s your plan for better sleep hygiene? George is challenging you to come up with a good plan for yourself and hopes you’ll tell him all about it in the comments section below.
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Louise Dudley
Aug 08, 2014
Good advice, George. I’m sure all the activity at CCC camp also helped! The only caution I’ve read elsewhere is not to exercise vigorously right before bedtime. Keep up the writing!
Chris Winter
Aug 08, 2014
George, you have done a great job with your first blog post. The biggest problem people have with sleep is the fear that they will not be able to sleep. What I like about this book is that it creates excitement about sleep and what can come of it. It also gives the reader something to focus on if he happens to wake up. Being alone with your thoughts at night is something to be embraced…not something we should cower from. In the end, sleep always wins…
Natalie Brown
Aug 09, 2014
George, I struggle with sleep as well. I have read your Auntie’s posts about sleep and have enjoyed your post very much. I pick a dream for myself each evening as well but love that you have a book to help you. Please keep writing. I am looking forward to your next Allison Partners post.
George Linney, III
Aug 09, 2014
There is a lot that a dad can learn from his son about good habits around going to sleep. Priority #1 is proper and consistent sleep and yet, we are able to function on so little, but we don’t function at our best. Those who sleep in peace have the key to life. Every day ends with the sabbath that is powering down and knowing that what we did today was enough. GEL IV, we will work on this together—be each other’s accountability partners. Glad to sleep in the same house with you.
Susan Scofield
Oct 11, 2014
George:
Thanks for your informative blog post. I teach 8th graders and I know they do not get enough sleep for their growing bodies. Perhaps they will listen to you better than me. Nocturne: Dream Recipes sounds like a great book. Thanks for the tip!