MEDIA RELEASE: R00172 – 15 August 2016

As the dog days of summer wind down and back-to-school looms larger, a Brock University researcher says getting kids back into a healthy sleep routine is extremely important.

“During the summer, school-age children have been staying up later: there’s more light, there are fewer rules generally, and there’s more family activities, so the children’s sleep schedules have gotten off track,” says Brock sleep expert Kimberly Cote.

“We want to talk to people about getting children’s sleep back on track to be ready to go to school and be optimally fit for the new school year,” says Cote, Professor of Psychology at Brock and president of the Canadian Sleep Society.

Adjusting children’s sleep schedules, and the huge importance of sleep for children’s growth and development, are among themes Cote and her colleagues will be highlighting during the first Great Canadian Sleepwalk: The Road to Good Nights, a five-kilometre walk in four Canadian cities Saturday, Aug. 20 to raise awareness of the importance of healthy sleep.

Healthy sleep is vital for brain and body functioning, says Cote. Research has shown that people who don’t get enough sleep may have difficulties controlling their emotions, making rational choices, remembering things and could even develop compromised immune systems which, over time, might lead to hormonal changes associated with increased risks of obesity, hypertension and diabetes.

Sleep is especially important for children and adolescents as they grow and develop. Yet, 31 per cent of school-aged children and 26 per cent of adolescents in Canada are sleep deprived; 33 per cent of Canadian children ages five to 13 and 45 per cent of youth aged 14 to 17 have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at least some of the time.

Cote urges parents to get their kids back into a school-time sleep schedule from mid-August by bumping up bedtimes 15 minutes every few days, then another 15 minutes for the next few days and so on.

“You shouldn’t start on Labour Day,” she says. “Sleep is a behaviour that can’t be adjusted very quickly; it needs some time to adjust. So, now is the time to think, ‘if my child has to be up at this time to catch the bus to school, when should bedtime be?”

Cote and her colleagues have a range of information and advice on other aspects of sleep, such as tips to get a good night’s sleep and therapies that address insomnia, that they will be sharing at the Great Canadian Sleepwalk, which will be held at Brock University, as well as in Halifax, Quebec City and Montreal.

At Brock there will be two routes: one through the Bruce Trail; and the other a flatter, more accessible course. The walk costs $10 to enter and children 12 years and under can walk for free.

Participants are encouraged to pre-register and come in their pyjamas or dress as their favourite ‘dream character.’ The Dairy Farmers of Canada will be distributing free milk. Register at: www.CanadianSleepwalk.ca

To learn more about the importance of sleep among adolescents, see story in The Brock News. And for more about Cote’s research and the Canadian Sleepwalk event, see this story.

For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

* Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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