How to get a good night’s sleep – ‘SleepScotland’ Interview
Did you know that getting a good night’s sleep is essential for your well-being? Sleep Scotland advise that keeping a good consistent routine, being active during the day, and having a good transition between being active and being passive are all great ways to achieve a healthy night’s sleep.
More information for Scotland: https://www.sleepscotland.org/
More information for the rest of UK: https://www.sleepscotland.org/families/sleep-services-uk/
M: Hello my name is Mitchell and I am from the DRP Scotland and I am here to interview Sleep Scotland. Can you please introduce yourself?
J: Hello and good morning my name is Jane Ansell and I am the founder and CEO of Sleep Scotland.
M: Fantastic thank you. Can you please tell me a little more about Sleep Scotland and how it got started?
J: Yes, Sleep Scotland is a charity that helps those who have problems with sleep. In the past it was started to help those who had special and complex needs. It started because my son had complex needs and struggled with sleep. He is now an adult however he was the first person whom received Sleep Scotland’s sleep intervention. We now help families where there are children with special needs, help teach teachers in schools and train people to become Sleep Counsellors and Sleep Practitioners who can then help children some with and some without special needs. We have received funding for a Support Line so we can reach as many children as possible. The aim of Sleep Scotland is to try and give people access to knowledge about sleep and sleep counselling services so that they can improve their sleep at night which means that they can reach their potential during the day.
M: That is all really interesting and a great project. I think that this information is absolutely vital for young people. Why do you feel that sleep is so important particularly for young people? You previously touched on children reaching their full potential in school.
J: Yes, absolutely sleep and education and key. During the night our bodies are so busy preparing us for the following day. Sleep is so important during the night as that’s where my get our energy, it helps our memory, it helps us to fight disease. Our bodies are very busy during the night to make sure our bodies are prepared for the next day. We need 3 things: good food, exercise and a good night’s sleep. I believe those are the 3 things for a human being needs to reach their potential. A lot of teenagers struggle with their sleep. They do have a different sleep patterns. In the last maybe 8 years we have begun teaching teachers and youth workers about sleep so that they can introduce it to the curriculum which helps their education.
M: Certainly the 3 elements you mentioned; exercise, nutrition and sleep is so important and that’s why I wanted our young people to get access to that information. Do you have any hints and tips for our young people with regards to sleep?
J: I always say not to use hints and tips but to use tried and tested strategies that are evidence based so that you will know that they’ll work. What is really important is a good routine, a good transition between being active and passive, this way it is a good transition for the brain and body to be active during the day but to be in a passive state in the evening. It is really important for both the body and brain. So - a good routine, consistency in that routine. So trying to do a similar good routine every night and we also talk about positive reinforcement. We talk about that as rewards. But everybody needs to know why you need to do it why it is good for them. It needs to be something they do with their peers so that they embrace it.
M: Thank you the information and I agree routine is so important. Thank you so much for today, thank you.
