**Giveaway has now closed**
Sleep – it’s a mysterious BUT awesome world.
Vicky Woodgate has written and illustrated a book about sleep for children. Having always been fascinated by sleep, she discovered there really isn’t much for kids about the SUBJECT of sleep, sure there is plenty on getting to sleep but what about the WHOLE WORLD of sleep. How did ancient people slumber? What DID they sleep on, why are cats SO GOOD at snoozing, where did the term nightmare come from, and why it’s ok to have strange dreams.
It’s so important to have a healthy relationship with sleep from an early age, unravel the covers – peel back the mysteries, maybe then, it can help the whole family have a better, healthier and happier relationship with bedtime.
That’s why she has teamed up with The Sleep Charity, who provided consultancy around the book, to offer two lucky people on Twitter the chance to win a copy of her book ‘The Magic of Sleep’. All you need to do is follow us both, retweet the post and tag a friend below with the hashtag #magicofsleep
So here are some of the golden nugget’s she picked up on her research journey through time, history, the natural world, stats, facts and how we sleep today, all in the pursuit of understanding a little more on the subject of sleep.
- Totally fascinating. Most of us fall into specific sleep pattern groups, our genetics playing a role in this. Are you a Lark? – up early and raring to go but get tired earlier in the evening. How about an Owl? Struggle to get out of bed, but function better later in the day. Or the best of both worlds the Hummingbird, able to switch between the two patterns. These are called chronotypes, and studies suggest there may be even more subgroups called swifts and woodcocks. It’s a menagerie! If you discover what you might be that could help you plan your day better.
- How long is enough? Different age groups require different amounts of sleep, for example children between 3-6 years need 11-12 hours, it drops to 9-11 hours between the ages of 7-12. Most adults up to 65 do well on 7-9 hours a night. But everyone is different, and the best thing is to find your sweet spot for the right amount that suits you.
- Mindfulness and meditation. It really does seem to work. When you stop taking time out to have a breather and give your mind a rest that impacts on my sleep quality. This goes for all ages in the busy hectic world we live in.
- Getting outside. Getting some fresh air and exercise in nature. It’s fantastic for your mental health and will do wonders for your mood – go on, go and hug a tree!
- Key to an awesome night’s sleep. Do the same relaxing things in the same order before bed every night to see the results.
- Switch off all tech one hour before bed. The blue light that beams from the screens, messes with the sleep hormone melatonin and stops us falling asleep – that includes TV. It can cause anxiety too!
- Other species. Some birds sleep while flying! Great Frigate birds take lots of 10 second naps as they fly non-stop for weeks. Snakes snooze with their eyes open (they have no eyelids) and flies take afternoon naps.
- The first waterbed was invented in 1000BCE. Ancient Persians would fill goat skins in water to sleep on. During the middle ages many people slept on sacks stuffed with straw. This is where the popular term “hit the hay” came from.
Vicky has also created a 5-day sleep project for the whole family, full of fun activities, crafts, breathing and meditation, plus how to set up a routine – with a chart of course! Download it here and get cracking with those super art skills and chart this fascinating subject that we ALL do one third of our lifetimes.
The Magic of Sleep by Vicky Woodgate – Published by DK is out now.
Dive into the weird and wonderful world of sleep, from the science behind dreams to a peek into animal sleeping habits, what happens to our bodies when we snooze and tips for better sleep for the whole family – for children aged 7 to 9.
Vicky Woodgate is an author and illustrator of non-fiction books for children – she lives on the south coast of England with her husband and sleep expert Moka, an old and very grumpy Siamese cat.
For more information, click here
To buy the book click here or on Amazon here
T&Cs
1. The Promoter
The promoter is: The Sleep Charity CIO of Kale Lodge, Woodfield Park, Tickhill Road, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN4 8FD (Charity Registration Number: 1150585).
2. The competition
2.1 The competition is open to anyone.
3. How to enter
3.1 The competition will run from Wednesday 23rd June 2021 (the Opening Time) to Wednesday 30th June 2021 (the Closing Time) inclusive.
3.2 To enter the competition entrants must follow both The Sleep Charity and Vicky Woodgate on Twitter, retweet the post and tag a friend below with the hashtag #magicofsleep
3.3 All competition entries must be received by the Promoter by the Closing Time. Any competition entries received after the Closing Time will be automatically disqualified.
3.4 There is no charge to enter the competition, and it is not necessary to pre-register on the Promoter’s website.
3.5 The Promoter will not accept responsibility for competition entries that are lost or delayed in transit (for example, as a result of any computer, network or server failure). Proof of sending will not be accepted as proof of receipt.
4. Eligibility
4.1 The competition is not open to:
(a) employees of the Promoter or its holding or subsidiary companies;
(b) employees of agents or suppliers of the Promoter or its holding or subsidiary companies, who are professionally connected with the competition or its administration; or
(c) members of the immediate families or households of (a) and (b) above.
4.2 In entering the competition, the entrant confirms that they are eligible to do so and eligible to claim the prize.
4.3 There is a limit of one entry to the competition per person.
5. The prize
5.1 There are two prizes available. in each age category. The prize for each winner will be The Magic Of Sleep book.
5.2 There is no cash alternative for the prize. The prize is not negotiable or transferable.
5.3 The Promoter reserves the right to replace the prize with an alternative prize of equal or higher value if circumstances beyond the Promoter’s control makes it necessary to do so.
6. Winners
6.1 The decision of the Promoter is final and no correspondence or discussion will be entered into.
6.2 The Promoter will notify the winner on Twitter through announcement and direct message (a Winning Notification) within 14 days of the Closing Time. The Promoter will ask for confirmation by e-mail:
(a) of their address details for sending the prize;
6.3 In the event that the Promoter is unable, using the contact details provided with the entry, to contact the winner and obtain the above confirmations within 14 days of sending a Winning Notification then the Promoter reserves the right to select a different winning entry in substitution for the entry originally selected and to allocate the prize to that newly selected entry.
6.4 Following receipt of the above confirmations, the prize will be sent to each winner by post. [The Promoter is not responsible for any prizes that are lost in transit to a winner.]
7. Publication and Data Protection
7.1 The Promoter will publish each winner on its social media channels. The Promoter will not publish any contact details for the winner.
7.2 All information provided to the Promoter by all competition entrants including all contact details) will be destroyed by the Promoter within 3 months of the Closing Time.
7.3 The Promoter’s data protection policy can be requested from info@thesleepcharity.org.uk
8. General
8.1 The Promoter reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to exclude any entry from the competition if it has any reason to believe that there has been a breach of these rules.
8.2 The Promoter reserves the right to hold void, suspend, cancel, or amend the prize competition where it becomes necessary to do so.
8.3 These rules shall be governed by English law, and the parties submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.