Shrinking It Down: Mental Health Made Simple

It’s our last episode of the season, but never fear – we’re signing off with tips to last you the summer long. Today’s episode is all about sleep!

Sleep is so important to our overall health and well-being. So, very special guest Dr. Bernard Kinane, Director of the Pediatric Sleep Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, joins Gene and Khadijah to answer all of your questions about how to support kids in healthy sleep habits.

What are the most common sleep problems in toddlers and teens? Why is sleep hunger important for maintaining a healthy sleep schedule? What’s the most common sleep challenge for kids with mental health disorders, and how do help them? How does iron deficiency affect your baby’s sleep (and yours)? Can you make up for lost sleep? (The answer might surprise you!) And if your teen has gotten in the habit of staying up until 3am, what’s a realistic approach to get back to normal? Plus, tips to manage vacation/back-to-school sleep transitions. Dr. Kinane answers all this, and more. Don’t skip this episode!

Thank you for joining in this conversation. Enjoy an emotionally healthy summer, and sleep well!

Media List (follow along with the conversation)

• Bernard Kinane, MD (Massachusetts General Hospital)
• Pediatric Sleep Disorders Program (Massachusetts General Hospital)
• The Importance of Sleep for Kids’ Emotional Well-being (MGH Clay Center)
• Changes in sleep patterns and disturbances in children and adolescents in Italy during the Covid-19 outbreak (Sleep Medicine)
• How Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome Affects Teenagers (verywell health)
• Obstructive Sleep Apnea (Brigham and Women’s Hospital)
• ADHD, Sleep, and Me: It’s Complicated (ADDitude Magazine)
• Autism linked to sleep problems and brain changes in infancy (SPECTRUM)
• Sleep: Let’s Talk About Older Kids and Teens (MGH Clay Center)
• Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Children (Pediatrics in Review)
• Video games, social media tied to shorter sleep for teens (Reuters)
• The Pandemic Is Still Here. That’s Bad for Coke and Pepsi Stock. (Barron’s)
• All That Blue Light Exposure Might Not Be Keeping You Awake After All (Men’s Journal)
• Can You Make up for Lost Sleep? (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences)
• 9 Tips to Help Toddlers to Sleep On Their Own (MGH Clay Center)
• Iron deficiency and sleep – A scoping review (Sleep Medicine Reviews)
• Parents Flocked to Vaccine Trials, Now Wait for Teen Jab Options (Bloomberg Law)

Episode produced by Sara Rattigan

Music by Gene Beresin

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.