Lifestyle

Mind

Some studies suggest that what we eat and drink can affect how we feel. But it can be difficult to know what to eat, especially when healthier foods can be more expensive. And it can be hard to think about our diet when we're struggling with our mental wellbeing. 

Visit the Mind website.

NHS

The NHS website provides information about eating a balanced diet, including advice about vegetarian and vegan diets. 

The website also provides information about healthy living, including eating a balanced diet, healthy weight, exercise, quitting smoking and drinking less alcohol. 

Visit the NHS website for information on eating a balanced diet and also to learn more about healthy living.

Moodjuice

Moodjuice is designed to help you think about emotional problems and work towards solving them. 

Visit the Moodjuice website.

Sworkit

Sworkit provides the support and motivation people need to reach their wellness goals and take control of their health — anytime, anywhere, any age, any experience level. 

Visit the Sworkit website.

NHS

It can be easy to rush through life without stopping to notice much. Paying more attention to the present moment – to your own thoughts and feelings, and to the world around you – can improve your mental wellbeing.  Some people call this awareness "mindfulness". Mindfulness can help us enjoy life more and understand ourselves better. You can take steps to develop it in your own life. 

Visit the NHS website.

Therapist Aid

Mindfulness exercises from the Therapist Aid.

Download the mindfulness exercises.

Get Self Help

Mindful breathing help from Get Self Help.

Download the mindful breathing document.

MindEd for Families

MindEd for Families has advice and information available to help you families to understand what mental health problems can occur and what they can do. 

Visit the MindEd for Families website.

NHS

The NHS website contains some exercise guidelines and workouts to help improve your fitness and wellbeing. 

The NHS website also provides information on the Couch to 5K programme, as something new like running can feel overwhelming, but that is completely normal. Many people feel this way at first. The free NHS Couch to 5K programme makes it easier by guiding you from the couch to running 5km in just 9 weeks.

Visit the NHS website for exercise advice, workouts, and the Couch to 5K programme.

Royal College of Psychiatrists

The Royal College of Psychiatrists provides information for children and young people and looks at the link between physical activity and mental health. It covers the benefits of physical activity and exercise, how exercise can support good mental health, and how active you need to be to feel better. 

Visit the Royal College of Psychiatrists website.

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP)

CWP provides a record sheet to help you keep on track as you steadily work physical activity into your week. 

Download the workout sheet.

MyMind advice sheet

It’s important to keep active, but it’s also important to learn how to relax. Find out more about how getting enough sleep can make a real difference to how you feel.  

Download the MyMind advice sheet.

The Sleep Charity

A national, award-winning charity empowering the nation to sleep better, The Sleep Charity are one of the leading, independent expert voices on sleep issues in the UK and are here to help everyone get a better night’s sleep. Whether it’s advice, education or support for children, teenagers, adults, workplaces or professionals, they are on hand with expert knowledge, resources and accredited training. Contact their helpline on 03303 530 541 (Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 7pm and 9pm, and also open from 9am to 11am on Mondays and Wednesdays).

Visit the Sleep Charity website.

Koala

Supporting families who have a child aged 2 to 11 years old, where poor sleep routines are having a significant impact on the whole family, often also resulting in learning and behavioural issues.

Visit the Koala website.

Cerebra Sleep Advice Service

We understand that if you have one child that doesn’t sleep, the whole family suffers. Our range of sleep services will help your child – and everyone in your family – get a good night’s sleep. 

Visit the Cerebra Sleep Advice Service website.

NHS

Insomnia means you regularly have problems sleeping. It usually gets better by changing your sleeping habits. Visit the NHS website for information on insommnia.

Visit the NHS website.

Teen Sleep Hub

If you’re looking for advice on how to sleep better, would like tips on tweaking your routine or help to understand the science behind your sleep patterns, you’ll find it all on the Teen Sleep Hub.

Visit the Teen Sleep Hub website.

Sleepio

Sleepio is a six-week clinically proven programme used to treat insomnia, available free on the NHS. 

Visit the Sleepio website.

Everyone requires an adequate amount of sleep and the amount of sleep each person requires depends on multiple factors. The average amount of sleep recommended for teenagers aged between 14-18 years is approximately eight to nine hours per night.

Sleep will support with your concentration and learning. During sleep you will process what you have learnt through the day and with enough sleep you are energised and more creative when awake. If you don’t get enough sleep, you can feel irritable, aggressive, upset and/or tearful. Lack of sleep can make it difficult to process feelings and emotions and your immune system will not fight off illnesses as well as it would with adequate sleep. When sleeping, your body heals and grows, therefore lack of sleep can impact growth and recovery.

As a teenager, your body and brain go through significant development. The brain alters and often teenagers go to bed later and later and get up later and later the next day, which can become a problem if you are awake during the night and wanting to sleep during the day. This pattern is not uncommon and getting into a good routine will help. Here are some useful tips:

• Have a regular sleep time and a regular wake up time to support your circadian rhythm (24-hour body clock).
• Avoid caffeine after 4pm.
• Talk to adults about any worries or concerns as it can help lessen anxiety at bedtime and support with a good night’s sleep.
• Switch off all screens an hour before bedtime. If you look at screens before going to sleep, you may not produce enough melatonin (the sleep hormone) to make you feel tired and support with sleep settling.
• Close the curtains and dim the lights one hour before bedtime as this supports with the production of melatonin (the sleep hormone).
• Consider having a bath 30 minutes before you want to go to sleep as the change in body temperature supports sleep settling.
• Consider eating supper or sugar free snacks before bedtime (e.g., porridge, toast, or sleepy foods) to support with sleep settling and prevent hunger during sleep settling or in the night.
• Consider listening to calm and quiet music before bedtime.
• When you wake up, open your curtains and if possible, go outdoors into natural daylight to support your circadian rhythm (24-hour body clock).
   

It’s important to keep active, but it’s also important to learn how to relax.

Getting enough sleep can make a real difference to how you feel. It can give you more energy, help you to think more clearly and so feel more able to deal with your worries. Sleep can affect both our mental health and our physical health.

Not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. Our need for sleep is usually greater when we’re growing and developing, and it gets less as we get older. Teenagers usually need at least 8-9 hours of sleep.

Environment (your bedroom)

• Use your bedroom mostly for sleep
• Tidy away distractions such as school or college work before you go to bed
• Cut out light and noise as much as possible
• Adjust your room temperature, so it is not too cold or too hot

Behaviour

• Try to have a sleep routine, going to bed and getting up at roughly the same time each day
• Do physical activities during the day (eg exercise, sport, walking)
• Cut down on drinks that contain caffeine (eg tea, coffee, coke and energy drinks)
• Allow your body to naturally adjust to night time by avoiding bright lights, watching TV, using a computer or playing video games before going to bed
• Set an alarm if you need to get up at a certain time

Thinking

If you are having problems sleeping, it can be your body’s way of telling you that there are other things causing you difficulty; it might be that you’re unwell at the moment, or it might be that you have worries that are playing on your mind and making it hard for you to sleep.

Sleep is something that you can’t force to happen; trying hard to make yourself sleep can cause you to feel tense and anxious, which then makes sleep even harder. If you find that your mind is very active when you go to bed or during the night and this is stopping you from sleeping, you might need help to wind down and switch off.

Try these tips before going to bed:

• Write down any worries; or make a list of the things you need to remember to do.
• Tidy away things that might trigger worrying thoughts, such as homework.
• Have a warm drink (not tea or coffee).
• Maybe have a warm bath.
• Have something peaceful to focus on, e.g. calming music or a relaxation exercise.

Bedtime routine example
 

1. Switch off electronic devices
2. Do a low stimulus activity (eg puzzle, card game)
3. Have a shower or a bath
4. Put on your pyjamas
5. Brush your teeth
6. Get into bed
7. Read a book or listen to a story
8. Sleep time

​​​​​​​A sleep diary is a record of sleep-related information, such as your sleep schedule, sleep quality and things that might affect your sleep, such as what you do before bedtime. Keeping a sleep diary can help you and others to understand your sleep habits better, which can help when making changes to improve your sleep. 

Download a sleep diary template for a young person or teenager and read our tips for completing a sleep diary below.

1. Keep the diary by the bed - this helps you to keep a live document and update it accurately.
2. Record the start date at the top of the page, it doesn’t matter what day you start recording.
3. Record the name of the person whose sleep is being recorded and who is completing the diary.
4. Record additional information on a separate sheet if needed.
5. Be honest when completing the sleep diary.
6. Complete a minimum of one week of sleep diaries.
7.  Completing two to four sleep diaries supports a better assessment of sleep difficulties.
8.  If you have an allocated worker, please share the sleep diaries with them when discussing sleep difficulties as this will support their understanding.

Learning to relax can support with achieving a good night’s sleep. Anxiety can be heightened during the evening routine for everyone involved when an individual is experiencing sleep difficulties, therefore it is important to practice relaxation. Please see some ideas below:

• Spending one-to-one time with your child without interruptions can support with relaxation.
• Avoid physical activity and physical play before bed as this will stimulate the brain. There is a misconception that exercise will help wear children and young people out, but it actually has the opposite effect.
• Find time during the day to share worries and concerns with your child as this will reduce anxieties and support with relaxation.
• Closing the curtains, dimming the lights, and using lamps can provide a relaxed environment.
• Consider using relaxation apps that give verbal instructions and visualise calm imagery stories. Adults can support a child or young person by talking through a calming imaginary scene such as a walk in the park.
• Consider classical music or white noise during the bedtime routine.
• Consider aromatherapy but check that the blends are suitable for children.
• Massaging is a good way of relaxing.

Some activities for your child to try before bed:

• Imagining breathing in beauty and calm, and breathing out any worries.
• Relaxing all the muscles in their body. They can do this by tensing their feet for a count of five and then letting them relax. The child or young person should then work their way up the body, tensing and relaxing key areas, eg calf muscles, stomach, arms, hands, shoulders.

If you are concerned about anxiety levels always seek advice from a medical practitioner.

• Do not let your child have prolonged naps in the late afternoon as this will affect the length of time they sleep at night. If your child absolutely does have to sleep, schedule the nap for early afternoon.
• Make sure that your child does not go to bed hungry but be aware that generally children over six months old do not need feeds / drinks during the night.
• Avoid stimulating activity in the hour before bedtime - think low stimulation activities like story books or jigsaws.
• Avoid drinks with caffeine or sugar such as cola, hot chocolate, tea, and coffee before bedtime.
• Keep a regular bedtime for your child as much as possible.
• Keep room temperature to a comfortable level. High temperatures disturb sleep while cold rooms during the night are likely to make children alert if they wake in the night.
• Environmental noise should be kept to a minimum (no loud or bright TVs), if sound is needed then consider quiet music or talking books which should be turned off prior to your child falling asleep.
• If you use music or talking books when your child is falling asleep, these should be left on throughout the night to ensure consistency as it may be a sleep association.
• Have a routine such as a bedtime story but look to leave the room once complete to help your child to learn to fall asleep alone in their own bed without your presence.
• Make sure that your child’s room is quiet and dark.
• Wake your child at a regular hour each morning, so that the sleep cycle is strengthened.