The importance of holistically addressing questions
“When parents experience a child’s sleep challenge, one of the most common paths parents take to solve the ‘problem’ is one of public inquisition, usually with the general questions being asked right from the start. Quite often parents seek the support of online forums or public groups where the root of sleep issues are not being addressed, but rather general questions are asked and general answers are given by others based on the other’s experiences and probability and particular paradigm, which rarely is holistic in nature.
Most questions asked do not come along with important details about their lifestyle or health history that need to be factored in before receiving even basic advice or suggestions. There are so many forces that affect sleep and in order to get the root of the challenge we must first investigate the strongest forces that affect sleep in order to first rule those ’causes’ out. Anyone who is answering health/sleep questions while knowing little/nothing about the client’s health history, blood work, diet, emotional wellbeing and all the rest of it, is just throwing darts at best, hoping to knock out the main ‘problem’. Rarely is there just one main ‘problem’ or factor, and more often than not there are many forces acting upon a family preventing them from getting good sleep.” Mar De Carlo
The Holistic Science of Sleep Method developed by Mar De Carlo provides the framework and understanding that support parents and professionals in addressing the many forces creating a sleep challenge, in order of importance.
A holistic sleep practitioner will address and analyze all these forces one by one hitting upon the major (and often overlooked) factors early on the process. But in order to do this, a great amount of details and information needs to be collected with regards the client’s health, emotional wellbeing and lifestyle history, including their recent blood work. Often times the job of a holistic sleep consultant is to refer the client to the right health practitioners who can rule out and analyze certain imbalances. There is rarely/never just one ‘problem’ affecting someone’s sleep. It is usually a combination of many factors/forces, each one building upon the other and this is why a holistic approach is suitable in addressing sleep challenges”.
In order to get to the root on the sleep challenge and address it, the consultants specialized in The Holistic Science of Sleep Method address the foundations and solutions below:
Rule out medical issues
Make sure all child’s physical and emotional needs are met
Make sure adults/parents/caregivers physical and emotional needs are met
Assess sleep history, birth history, health history of adult and child
Assess quality of breath of child & adult
Assess stress levels, energetic tempo, rhythms, temperaments of self and family
Assess self-confidence and , intuitive abilities
Assess quality of relationships, alignments, connections and support systems
Assess bedroom and home environment
Assess sleep/wake times, food and drink intake and activity level in a 24 hour period
Assess family lifestyle
Assess Short & Long Term Goals
Evaluate Core Beliefs
Inquire about recent medical visits, medications, and diagnosis
Get a Full Blood Panel checking for any imbalances, deficiencies (iron, magnesium and vitamin d deficiencies for example may inhibit sleep)
Investigate food sensitivities/intolerances/allergies with a highly qualified holistic naturopath who can provide various testing options from elimination diet to blood work
Trace/uncover the root of child behavior
Understand the language of crying
Reprogram expectations, attitudes and beliefs for sleep
Trust baby knows how to sleep and wants to sleep: allow your baby to teach you to sleep
Consider sleep as a social and shared experience not a solitary one
Consider sleep as a family sleep issue and not just a child sleep issue
Heal trauma
Resourcing: apply tools/techniques when triggers and stressors Arise
Invite and create support system
Strengthen connections to self and family through play and eye to eye contact
Be present to maintain connection and insight
Be the change: understand your sleep history and role model healthy sleep for your child
Allow babies to play and be fully expressed throughout the day.
Invite and allow a transition from day to night
Invite a bedtime ritual/routine/family rhythms
Support a child’s transition of any change they are experiencing through integrating the old and new versus going cold turkey from old to new
Relaxation becomes your lifestyle
Take daily pauses: Train your body to release during the day through short pauses of breathing meditation
Eat an a pro-sleep diet
Hydrate
Exercise/Move
Ensure bedroom environment is green and create a sleep sanctuary (check indoor air quality, electronics shut off)
Get sunshine upon waking
Follow a regular schedule
“The Holistic Science of Sleep Method™ is an adult and child sleep system that combines Holistic Thinking and Application with the Scientific Method to provide long term and balanced solutions to adult and child sleep challenges”.
The HSS Method believes that sleep is a natural function of the human body that does not need to be taught or trained. It’s a matter of addressing the things that are interfering with the body’s natural rhythms, homeostasis and inviting a lifestyle for the whole family that supports sleep .
Mar explains that child sleep is not just a child issue, but a family sleep issue.”The focus is establishing healthy sleeping habits for families. By examining the entire context for sleep – the physical, emotional, social, developmental and environmental factors – we teach sleep consultants how to begin working holistically with sleep during pregnancy, during infancy and beyond. Consultants assess the family, not just the child sleep problem, and make adjustments to sleep that are responsive to the family’s needs”.
The Holistic Science of Sleep Method™ investigates and addresses imbalances in optimal human function (physical, mental, emotional) and external forces (social, cultural, environmental) that inhibit sleep and may lead to adult and child sleep challenges.
