Object of comfort helps Poppy sleep

14 September 2018

Mum Rachel contacted our Sleep Service to get some advice about daughter Poppy who was having a number of sleep issues.

Object of comfort helps Poppy sleep

14 September 2018

Mum Rachel contacted our Sleep Service to get some advice about daughter Poppy who was having a number of sleep issues.

Difficulty sleeping
Mum Rachel contacted our Sleep Service to get some advice about daughter Poppy who was having a number of sleep issues. She told us their story and how Sleep Practitioner Kaileigh was able to help the whole family settle into a better routine.

Poppy is 10 years old and has a condition called Fragile X Syndrome. This affects her in many ways in her daily life. She has a learning disability which means that she can’t read or write and has low muscle tone. She also has autistic like behaviour which means that she likes routine. She’s also asthmatic. This can all have a big impact on the way she sleeps.

Before her mum contacted our Sleep Service, Poppy would only settle to sleep if one of her parents were there and would always wake up early – around 4.30am. This would cause problems for the whole family as Poppy also shared a room with her sister Gigi.

Poppy’s asthma also often caused her to be sick in the night when she was younger and so her parents felt as though they needed to be near through the night and this had an impact on their sleep.

One of our Sleep Practitioners, Kaileigh, suggested a number of techniques for mum to try to improve the quality of Poppy’s sleep including using a comforting object. For Poppy, this meant introducing cuddly toys which she grew an attachment to and found comforting. She named her four teddies after people she cares about and having these through the night means that she has a reminder of her parents and can now settle herself without having to wake her parents.

Another positive change that the family has made is reducing screen time before bed. The light that our electronic devices gives off can disrupt our natural sleep cycles so reducing screen time and using a red light (red light doesn’t disrupt out sleep cycles in the same way as other light) in Poppy’s bedroom improved her sleep. She is now even able to sleep with only the landing light on – something she would never have been able to do before.

Poppy is now sleeping much better and she and her sister even have their own rooms now so they can be typical girls. Poppy has chosen a unicorn theme for her room!

Mum Rachel said: “thank you for all the help we have received from Cerebra. We haven’t entirely cracked the sleep issue yet but we feel encouraged with your help!”

Read more about using a comforting object and other techniques for getting a good night’s sleep in our new sleep tips booklet.

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