The Sleepy Pebble and Other Stories: Calming Tales to Read at Bedtime
CONTENTS An Introduction for Grown-Ups Will This Book Help How to Use This Book The Sleepy Pebble A Story About Bedtime Routine The Tree Who Wanted to Stay Up Late A Story About Going to Bed Early The Giraffe Who Liked a Bath A Story About Relaxing Before Bedtime The Ever-So-Tired Snail A Story About Bedtime Environment The Pig Who Needed to Sleep A Story About the Benefits of Sleep Tips for a Relaxing Bedtime and Better Sleep Questions and Answers Acknowledgements About the Authors and Illustrator 8 10 11 13 25 37 49 61 73 79 83 84
AN INTRODUCTION FOR GROWN-UPS Many families have a bedtime routine probably involving a bath and stories Then us adults turn off the light and expect our children to go to sleep The last part of bedtime when we expect children to be quiet and fall asleep can be a time when things go wrong Our children might tell us they don’t want to go to sleep They might ask for more stories or keep chatting about whatever is on their mind It’s easy for us to become exasperated How can our children possibly not be sleepy when they have had such a busy day it’s already well past their bedtime and we are exhausted ourselves One possibility is that our children might be tired but in a state of arousal meaning a physical and mental state of being alert and reactive to stimuli They might have just read the most exciting story about a roller coaster ride and are imagining themselves whizzing round at high speed They might remember having been tickled earlier in the day and are still laughing at the feeling No wonder our children can’t sleep high levels of arousal are incompatible with sleep But with a bit of help they can unwind so that they are in a state that is better suited to falling asleep What might help The Sleepy Pebble and Other Stories is designed to help children relax before bedtime Useful techniques are embedded in calm and peaceful stories Each story contains three elements imagery muscle relaxation and mindfulness Imagery Imagery encourages children to create a place in their minds In order to seem realistic children are encouraged to consider a scene in plenty of detail They might think about the sounds and smells they encounter Research in adults with insomnia has found that those asked to imagine a scene in a great amount 8
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
