Monsters Under The Bed And Being Afraid Of The Dark Keeping Kids Up At Night

AROUND 1 in 6 kids are afraid of monsters under the bed while almost a quarter are scared of the dark, new national research into children's sleep has revealed. A surprising 17% of children are worried about what could be lurking under their bed as they sleep, while 23% suffer from the age old problem of being afraid of the dark. The national research into children's sleep patterns has been conducted by leading sleep brand Silentnight; and released to mark this year's Halloween celebrations on 31 October 2022. The results show 81% of kids aged between:- 4 and 11 years old suffer from bedtime anxiety; which is a fear or worry about going to sleep. 19% of children have nightmares; with the same number fearful of sleeping alone. Worries about School impact around 14% of children, with the fear of bullies or being bullied keeping 15% up at night. Meanwhile, the research reveals the average child wakes up around 2 times per night, getting between 7 and 8 hours sleep. Just 18% get the recommended 10 hours of sleep required for children aged 4 to 11, meaning that on average kids are losing out on 14 hours of sleep per week. To help make bedtime routines as easy as possible, and to alleviate bedtime anxiety, Silentnight has partnered with children's coaching expert Natalie Costa, to develop a Sleep Guide for Kids, aimed at parents and teachers.  Natalie said:- "It can be frustrating and distressing for parents if their child is waking up in the night, or if they are scared of going to sleep. The good news for parents is that there's lots of things they can do to take the stress out of bedtime and help kids feel more settled and adapt into a routine. Whether it's creating a clear bedtime routine, taking the time to explain why sleep is so important or even practising meditation or journaling; there's lots of things to try."

Natalie Costa's Top 5 Sleep Tips…

1. Sleep is your superpower... Share with your child how sleep is actually their hidden superpower! Explain that while they might not always feel like sleeping or going to bed at a certain time, their brain LOVES sleep. Our brain is like an iPad, if the battery is running low, we need to recharge the device, otherwise we can't play the games we like!

2. Bring them in...Start to incorporate the tips from the Silentnight Sleep Guide into your child's bedtime routine. Doing so will help them feel more settled and relaxed.

3: Creating a cosy sleep environment... Try to create a calm and relaxing space to help your child settle more easily at night as they prepare to go to bed. Explore with them how they can create a cosy environment by tidying their bedroom, having a special pillow or blanket or a lamp that illuminates a softer glow etc.

4. Calm the worries... Bedtime can often be a time when children share their worries or anxieties of the day. Help your child work through these worries by getting them to journal, draw or write out what is on their mind. You can also offer to hold on to the worries for your child, by telling them that you'll look after them so that your child doesn't have to.

5. Hand on heart breathing... Model and teach your child how to soothe their negative feelings by using their breath. Hand-on-heart-breathing is a great exercise to help your child calm their wobbly feelings. Typically, when we get anxious or upset, our breathing starts to quicken; intensifying those nervy emotions. Teach your child how to breath into their belly (or diaphragm) - taking slow, deep breaths in through their nose, and slowly exhaling through their mouth, as if they're blowing out through a straw.

Over 50% of people in the North West have had to skip lunch due to workload

OVER 50% of Office workers in the North West admit to often skipping lunch while working as they struggle to get through their workload, a recent survey reveals. The Lacklustre Lunch Breaks Survey, from Just Eat for Business, asked the Region's employees about what they eat on their lunch break, what they would change about their break, and how it impacts their productivity and positivity at work overall.

While workers in:- Manchester, Liverpool, Salford, Preston and Chester regularly miss out on eating due to hectic workloads, a quarter (26%) also revealed they often have to forgo lunch because they're required to attend meetings scheduled over their break.

This is concerning, given that recent Just Eat for Business findings also found that 44% of employees in the North West are burnt out at work, while a 5th find trying to maintain a healthy work life balance the hardest aspect of work.

Government advice states that workers have the right to 1 uninterrupted 20 minute rest break during their working day, if they work more than 6 hours per day; which for the majority of office employees, is their lunch break entitlement.

This means that if workers in the North West aren't able to eat in their allotted break; whether due to workload or other factors; they'll have to wait until the end of the working day to get food; and won't be able to switch off from work until then.

Skipping lunch can also exacerbate issues related to stress, as the NHS states missing meals can result in weight gain, low mood, mood swings and dizziness. But the excessive workload isn't the only issue workers in the North West face when it comes to trying to prioritise their lunch; as the survey also found that the nutritional value of the food is an issue as 27% of workers said that they wish their lunch was healthier.

With this in mind, it's important that employers set aside some provisions to make sure their workforce can get some sort of sustenance during the work day.

Tom Baxter, Account Management Director at Just Eat for Business, commented on the findings:- "It's not recommended that people skip lunch, as it's important to fuel ourselves during the working day; and it's particularly sad that many feel they have to do so due to time constraints. If North West employers are unable to extend lunch breaks, they need to make sure that their employees are able to eat regularly, and well. A good way to do this is to schedule catered lunch breaks that can be enjoyed amongst team members, as this promotes a social atmosphere; and makes sure everyone has time to rest and refuel at work."

Other results detailed in the survey include how often workers find themselves eating the same thing for lunch, and how people feel after they return to work from their lunch....

Merseyside charity scoops £20,000 donation

THE Port Sunlight Village Trust has been granted £20,000 as part of the Benefact Group's Movement for Good Awards. The latest phase of the Movement for Good Awards will see more than £500,000 in funding be awarded to 31 charities working across the climate change and environment, education and skills, heritage and arts and rural and community sectors. The Wirral based charity is an independent charitable trust responsible for preserving and promoting the Victorian village, which is a Designated Conservation Area.

The £20,000 funding will go towards the charity's programme to restore Port Sunlight's boating pond and fountain, the 1st project in its 10 Year Monuments Strategy setting out how they will restore, maintain, and celebrate Port Sunlight's stories and legacies. The awards are designed to help charities make a real difference in their communities and beyond. More than 500 charities applied for the funding with the winning projects being selected against 4 criteria: impact and effectiveness, sustainability, innovation, and care and compassion.

Mark Hews, Group Chief Executive of Benefact Group, said:- "At Benefact Group we believe business should be a force for good. More than ever, charitable causes need sustained support and a sense of financial stability. Through our Movement for Good larger grant awards, we are championing a more imaginative way of supporting charities so that they can have some certainty in these challenging times. We know our funding can be a lifeline to those who are struggling with cost of living increases and a grant of this scale can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do. Benefact Group is the fourth largest corporate donor in the UK and has an ambition to be the biggest. Owned by a charity, all our available profits go to good causes, and the more the Group grows, the more the Group can give. As a company whose purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society, charitable giving is at the heart of what we do."

Movement for Good is funded by EIO plc, part of the Benefact Group. For a full list of the 31 winning charities please visit:- MovementForGood.Com.