Your Doman Method Program - Why You Need to Include Sleep!
For any family doing a Doman Method Program at home — whether you’re just starting or a veteran, you are only doing a couple hours daily or a full-day program — sleep is crucial in supporting all your’s and your child’s effort and hard work. However, it is often the one thing that does not get the attention it needs. Here are my top reasons why it should be top priority for your Doman Method Program:
Sleep is vital for brain growth and development: for any child with a neurological problem, sleep is passive rehabilitation. You don’t have to do anything — it’s the brain that works overtime to process, review, and organize all the information it received that day. Depending on the stage of sleep, it’s the brain time to remember new motor abilities, create new memories, retain information, and to do some spring cleaning! Did you know that during sleep your brain is nourishing new neurons and synapses and cutting away the old and dysfunctioning synapses? In order to start with a fresh slate the next day, your child has to get their zzz’s.
Sleep helps boost immune function: many brain-injured children often have issues of staying healthy. Because of poor breathing and environmental sensitivities, it’s not uncommon for us to see children that are sick every. single. month. The more days your child is sick, this means more days of lost program. Getting enough rest at night is important to stay healthy. It has been proven time and again that sleep is key for increased immunity and to ward off illness.
Sleep keeps everyone happier! Picture this: your child gets to bed, falls asleep easily, and gets a great night’s rest — doesn’t that sound great? When kids are getting the sleep they need, they have the energy to do the Doman Program, they’re less likely to have temper tantrums, and are much more cooperative. When your child cooperates, you’ll feel that much happier knowing you’re achieving the program goals consistently.
Sleep helps to keep the program running: You are not only your child’s parent — you are the primary therapist, cook, cleaner, reading card and homemade book writer, Doman card maker, and much, much more. Sleep also needs to be priority for YOU, too. If you are exhausted, it makes it that much more difficult to get a program done the next day. It’s hard for parents of brain-injured children to prioritize their own self-care. But, if you did one thing — get your 7-9 hours a night. This will give you the energy to keep the program organized and running on all cylinders!
All parents want what is very best for their child’s neurological growth, health, and well-being. Making sure that your child is getting adequate sleep is one of the best ways to do this! And I know — it’s tempting to stay up just another 10’ to get that last pattern in, or to get just a couple more sessions of the Breathing Enhancement Pack. But, I always say to parents that it’s better to get your child to bed at a reasonable time and start your next day’s program fresh. The more consistently this happens, the easier it will be to achieve your Doman Method Program goals in full!