Weekly WON Tip

Back to School Essentials:

The best way to support your child as they head back to school is by ensuring they get enough sleep.  During sleep, the body is able to:

• Heal & repair 
• Adrenal system relaxes & restores itself
• Brain catalogs what it has learned during the day

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You may be asking yourself, how much sleep should my child have each night?  The following are sleep recommendations per night based on age:

• 3-5 yrs  - 10 to 13 hrs
• 6-13 yrs  -  9 to 11 hrs
• 14-17 yrs  -  8 to 10 hrs

Your kids will benefit from a nightly routine preparing their body for sleep at a consistent bedtime.  This can include a light snack, taking a bath, brushing their teeth, and then reading in bed.  Some children will unwind better through a bedtime yoga practice, guided meditation, or light massage.  Let you children be a part of creating this process and they will be more willing to embrace the structure and their bedtime.

If your child is still struggling to get enough sleep and stick to a bedtime, you might consider one of these products:

1. Natural Calm - an effervescent drink that can help restore low levels of magnesium that are needed for sleep, energy, and a stable mood.  It can also help relieve the muscle cramps and aches associated with growing pains in children.
2. Sleep & Relax by Gaia Herbs - a delicious tasting syrup which uses an herbal blend of chamomile, lemon balm and passion flower that acts synergistically to help calm the body and mind of your child.  This blend prepares them for sleep and they will wake up feeling re-energized.  You can use this syrup for the week before school as you implement an earlier bedtime from summer or as needed.
3. Tulsi Tea - If your child likes to drink tea, give Tulsi tea a try.  Tulsi is commonly known as Holy Basil.  It acts as an adaptogen to help protect the body from harmful side effects of stress by promoting relaxation and a sense of relief from every day stressors.  Drinking a cup of Tulsi tea will help clam your child's body and mind and encourage deep, restorative sleep.
4. Lavender - clinically shown to help children fall asleep faster, and enter a state of restorative sleep more quickly and for longer periods of time.  You can diffuse the essential oil in their room, massage it into their feet, or spray it onto their pillow and blanket.

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Natural Calm

Sleep & Relax

Tulsi Tea

Lavender Essential Oil