North Tyneside residents are being offered the chance for one-to-one counselling to help them get a good night's sleep.
North Tyneside Council has launched a 'sleep support' pilot scheme - offering self-help sleeping materials, workshops, and one-to-one sleep counselling. Council staff from across multiple services have been trained in "sleep awareness" and "sleep counselling".
A total of 14 residents have so far taken advantage of the service with the authority stating "feedback has been positive from selected families".
Director of public health for North Tyneside, Wendy Burke said: “It is well known that sleep is vital for our health and wellbeing, so last month, we were delighted to launch a new and innovative pilot scheme called Sleep Well North Tyneside. It is aimed at helping families make sure children and young people, and in turn themselves, develop healthy sleep habits, also known as sleep hygiene, to get a good night’s sleep, to give them the best chance to stay healthy and well.”
The service provides access to cognitive and behavioural sleep support to children and young people aged 5-12 years old, and their families or carers, with behavioural sleep difficulties.
The NHS recommends adults get between seven and nine hours sleep per night. However, children should get nine to 13, with toddlers and babies requiring as much as 12 to 17 hours of sleep a day.
However, according to a YouGov poll, one in six British people sleep for fewer than just six hours a night.
According to the NHS, people should avoid the following to improve their sleep:
- Avoid Nicotine or alcohol six hours before bed
- Do not exercise four hours before bed
- Avoid phone and tablet lighting
The mental health charity MIND advises people to get appropriate sleep to support their own mental health and to prevent exacerbating mental health problems.
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