The Sleepy Pebble and Other Stories: Calming Tales to Read at Bedtime

The Sleepy Pebble and Other Stories: Calming Tales to Read at Bedtime — page 4 — of detail fell asleep more quickly than those given no instructions Imagery is also sometimes used in schools to help children relax This technique may be useful because keeping an image in the mind uses up cognitive space which can therefore not be filled with thoughts that may keep children awake Muscle Relaxation Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique whereby different groups of muscles are tensed and then released Doing so can help children to notice how different it feels when they are tense compared to when they are relaxed A review of non-pharmacological treatments for adults with chronic insomnia from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine concluded that progressive muscle relaxation is a method that works This technique has also been used with children We have developed a brief version of this established technique to use in the context of the stories Mindfulness Mindfulness refers to being in the moment without judgement This means noticing three things how our bodies feel the thoughts that are passing through our minds and the environment around us like feeling the temperature of the air or noticing nearby sounds However mindfulness is about more than just paying attention to the present moment how we pay attention is important Mindfulness involves awareness of what is currently being experienced with openness curiosity self-compassion and non judgement Paying attention with the wrong attitude for example by being critical or anxious about what is happening is not helpful Increased levels of mindfulness have been associated with better sleep quality in both adults and children and mindfulness-based therapy is often used as a component of therapies designed to improve sleep in adults such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia It is also sometimes used in school settings to increase well-being Mindfulness could help children to sleep for multiple reasons for example its ability to reduce anxiety and relax the body which could have a knock-on positive effect on sleep 9

The Sleepy Pebble and Other Stories: Calming Tales to Read at Bedtime — page 5 — WILL THIS BOOK HELP When developing this book over a few years we drew upon scientific literature We also contacted other sleep experts psychologists mindfulness experts parents and children themselves about our ideas and have shared early draft sections of this book widely receiving plenty of feedback We also conducted a small pilot study where we invited 100 families who had at least one child aged between 3 and 11 years of age to take part We asked the families to read a story an earlier draft of The Sleepy Pebble for three consecutive nights At the end of those nights we asked the families to answer a questionnaire providing feedback about many aspects of the story such as its length and whether they thought it should be illustrated Seventy adults participating in the study responded We asked many questions but for one key question Overall what effect do you think the story had on your child children’s sleep parents responded that for 80 of the 104 77 children taking part the story had a very positive or slightly positive effect They also flagged areas that could be improved such as adding illustrations and information for adults reading the story The book has been adapted based on the feedback Positive feedback does not mean that this book will work for all children Every child is unique and what is helpful for one child may not be helpful for another We would recommend adding this to your bedtime routine if you and your children find it useful and encourage you only to use sections of the book that you consider to be appropriate for your children For children with physical or mental health difficulties a healthcare provider should be consulted before using any techniques included in this book Parents also reported that for 21 104 20 the book seemed to have no effect for 3 104 3 the book seemed to have a slightly negative extremely negative effect did not comment Our study had limitations e g there was no control group and we used subjective retrospective reports Recruitment was also conducted via social media meaning that the authors were known to some of the participants Nonetheless the overall results were promising 10

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