CALGARY -- The stress parents are dealing with around their jobs and finances while overseeing home schooling is hard not to share with their children.
But a Calgary sleep expert says parents need to try and manage that stress, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, so it doesn’t rub off on the young people in their homes.
“You can’t dismiss the stress that (children) are under because it’s the unknown and it’s around them all the time,” said Dr. Charles Samuels, medical director at the Centre for Sleep and Human Performance.
“It’s affecting their parents' work and that’s important to children and they are distressed and stressed.”
Vladimir Bodez is with his daughters Mia and Elma at Fish Creek Provincial Park watching them run around.
“We had some rough nights,” said Bodez. “The kids definitely felt our tension as well.”
But after upward of two month living with restrictions and isolation, Bodez and his family are adjusting positively.
“She (5-year-old Elma) went past her bedtime a lot of times but slowly but surely we’re getting them back on track,” said Bodez. “We’re trying to rebuild the routine over again.”
Samuels says routine and getting time away from technology is important to help kids get the sleep they need at night.
“Being outside in a safe way, playing in a safe way is really important for the kids because it is their distraction and their opportunity to calm down,” said Samuels. “Children going to bed not calm are going to have poor sleep.”
Samuels also points out that if an adult or child has a nightmare during this time that there isn’t a bigger problem with them.
“When we’re stressed or emotionally distressed nightmares are a common phenomenon,” he said.
“So it doesn’t mean anything is wrong, you are having a normal response to an abnormal situation.”
Learn more about sleep resources for adults and children at the Centre for Sleep website.
