Over half of UK mums lose sleep when their teens fly the nest

HUDDERSFIELD, U.K. - Sept. 17, 2014 - PRLog -- It’s not just students that lose sleep when they start University, according to survey results released today, over half of mums across the UK find it difficult to get off to sleep when their children leave home for student life.

The research commissioned by leading bedding specialist, Slumberdown, looked at the sleeping habits of the nation’s parents and found that over half of mums (54%) lie awake at night worrying about what their children are up to now they are no longer under the same roof.

The main fear mums gave for preventing a good night’s sleep was their children’s finances (17%) and them not having enough money to last them through the year. Too much alcohol and partying are also big concerns for many anxious mothers, with 15% revealing that they toss and turn at night worrying that their children are drinking excessively and 12% worrying that their children are partying too hard.

And it seems it doesn’t get any better when their teens return home for the holidays. With the late nights continuing two thirds of mums (62%) said that they wait up for their children to return home after a night out.

However, Slumberdown’s research revealed that over half (52%) find that creating a home care package for their teen helped put their troubled minds at rest, with food (83%), toiletries (74%), bedding (67%) and money (67%) at the top of the list.

Commenting on the findings, Slumberdown’s sleep expert Professor Jason Ellis said: “This survey provides us with a really interesting insight into a problem that affects hundreds of thousands of women every year but is rarely talked about. Traditionally we have looked at the transition from home to University as a source of stress and sleep loss for the student but never really considered it from the parents’ perspective. And the results clearly point to a problem for our mums with so many reporting difficulties getting off to sleep or sleeping through the night.

What’s more, the data shows that even when their child comes home those sleeping difficulties tend to continue, although the source of the worry changes somewhat. This tells us that this is a critical life event for both mum and child.”

Professor Jason added: “The good news is that most mums eventually adapt with over half (50.9%) saying that their sleep returned to normal within a month but that still left almost 10% (9.8%) who found their sleep never returned to normal after their child had left for University. This is definitely an area that needs more attention. I am surprised and delighted that bedding is right up there with money as an essential part of the care package; clearly our mums know the importance of a good night’s sleep.”

For those mums who are finding it difficult to get to sleep this month Professor Jason Ellis has some top tips for you to help keep those worries at bay and enjoy a good night’s sleep.

-  Write it down – if we get the chance to worry in bed we will tend to do it. Write your to-do lists early in the evening. It will give you a sense of control and if you do start worrying you can tell yourself you got it covered. Also, keep the list near the bed so you can add to it if you wake up and start worrying.

- Take time out – it is important to put the day to bed before you go to bed so set aside some ‘you’ time to relax and unwind.

- Try to keep a regular sleep schedule – going to bed and getting up at the same time every day is really important in keeping you sleep healthy as our bodies respond well to routine.

- Keep the bedroom cool, dark and quiet - In a sleep healthy environment you are more likely to sleep through the night and not be awoken by light, heat or noise.

- Avoid clockwatching – it is all too easy to get consumed by the clock, especially at night. If the clock is not facing you then you are not going to be counting down the hours till you have to be up and are more likely to get off to sleep.

To help create the ultimate bedding package Slumberdown provides a selection of bedding, including the big value bed set, which includes a duvet, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors. This will help your teen clock plenty of z’s to guarantee they are at their best whether they’re working or playing hard. The big value bed set is available from Argos and Tesco.