Families often tell us that it is difficult to juggle all of their routine responsibilities, along with the medical appointments/treatment, and then try to manage their child’s poor sleep at night. As a result, it is common for parents to agree to sleep requests from their child that they normally would not.
One is sleeping in the same room or the same bed as their child. In the hospital, when your child is feeling unwell, it is natural to want to share a bed and make them feel better. But when families transition back home during maintenance therapy, they may not know how to break this habit. What made your child feel better in the short-term (sharing a bed) may wind up disrupting their sleep in the long-term (children and parents report better sleep quality when they sleep independently).
Families often tell us that it is difficult to juggle all of their routine responsibilities, along with the medical appointments/treatment, and then try to manage their child’s poor sleep at night. As a result, it is common for parents to agree to sleep requests from their child that they normally would not.
One is sleeping in the same room or the same bed as their child. In the hospital, when your child is feeling unwell, it is natural to want to share a bed and make them feel better. But when families transition back home during maintenance therapy, they may not know how to break this habit. What made your child feel better in the short-term (sharing a bed) may wind up disrupting their sleep in the long-term (children and parents report better sleep quality when they sleep independently).
The better answer: When feeling sick, you have likely been told by a doctor to “make sure you get some rest.” In the case of a short-term illness like a cold or the flu, this is very good advice. However, when it comes to leukemia, it is important to remember that your child getting better is more of a marathon than a sprint. Constantly giving them more opportunity to sleep may wind up with their body’s internal clock (called a circadian rhythm) to learn to sleep in spurts, with multiple interruptions in the middle of the night.
The better answer: A short (less than 30 minutes) nap can be much needed—especially on certain days during maintenance therapy. However, some children wind up taking naps that are too long. This is not a substitute for quality sleep at night. In fact, long naps can actually disrupt their sleep at night. Also keep in mind that if naps occur too late in the afternoon, it may cause a child to struggle with falling asleep.
The better answer: By the time families reach the maintenance phase of leukemia treatment, they are sometimes resigned to believing that poor sleep is the new normal. While poor sleep during the induction and consolidation phases of treatment are common, now is one of the best times to start your family on the path back toward better sleep. Treatment is less intensive, and taking small steps toward improved sleep now will add up in the future.
The better answer: There is so much to monitor for your child’s oncology team that sometimes sleep can slip through the cracks. Your child’s oncologist, nurses, psychologists, etc., all want to help your family sleep better. Make it known if sleep is sometimes or often a struggle. Even if it is not a major problem yet, putting this issue on their radar will help them take better care of your child.
