Celebrating NSFT’s Better Sleep Programme this World Sleep Day | News and events

Thousands of children and young people across Norfolk and Waveney are now getting a better night sleep thanks to a programme being run by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT).

The NSFT Better Sleep Programme is funded by the NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board and is committed to helping children and young people access better support with their sleep.

As well as offering support to those who receive treatment from NSFT’s youth and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) teams, the programme provides training to other organisations to promote the importance of sleep for youth mental health and wellbeing.

Since the Better Sleep Programme began in 2023 it has helped approximately 3,000 young people receive additional help and support to achieve a better night’s sleep.

Dr Rebecca Rollinson, Principal Clinical Psychologist who leads the programme, said: “It is such a privilege to work with partner organisations, such as supported accommodation, substance misuse services, and family help practitioners. By encouraging them to consider better sleep in care and treatment plans, and by providing self-help guides, we are making a significant impact on improving the sleep of young people.

“We know that if we can improve their sleep, it will have a positive impact on their quality of life and their mental and physical health.”

Richard Watson, Executive Director of Strategy, Digital and Commissioning for NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board, said: “Sleep plays a vital role in young people’s health, development and emotional wellbeing, which is why we’re proud to support the Better Sleep Programme across Norfolk and Waveney. By helping young people address sleep difficulties early and equipping professionals across services with the skills to provide support, this programme is a great example of the NHS’s shift towards prevention - improving wellbeing for young people now and helping to reduce the need for more intensive support later.”

The programme also provides training to therapeutic practitioners in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for insomnia.

A total of 350 practitioners have received the training across Norfolk and parts of Suffolk. Services offering the therapy in Norfolk include Ormiston Families, MAP, Talking Therapies (all age), The Matthew Project, Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children, Youth Justice Service, Adolescent Therapeutic Services in Norfolk County Council, Mental Health Support Teams in Schools, Support for Success and New Roads.

Rebecca added: “At least 550 young people have received a CBT for insomnia intervention that they wouldn’t otherwise have accessed. As a result, we are seeing very positive improvements of sleep and wellbeing in young people. We’ve had excellent feedback from parents who have said the support has changed the lives of their children.

“Friday 13 March is World Sleep Day and this year’s theme is ‘sleep well, live better’. I am delighted that NSFT’s Better Sleep Programme is helping you people achieve better lives by getting their sleep back on track.”

Anthony Deery, Chief Nurse said “We cannot underestimate the importance of good sleep in supporting a young person’s health and well-being. It is great to see the Better Sleep Programme being rolled out across Norfolk and Waveney.”

  Better Sleep Myth busting

Rebecca has shared her top three sleep myths and what you can do to get off to the land of nod.

• Myth One: Get to bed early if you’re not sleeping well.

This can help if you haven’t had enough chance to sleep and you just need to catch up. But for young people who aren’t sleepy until later at night, it can mean they end up spending hours in bed awake either trying to get to sleep or getting distracted on devices. For young people with longstanding sleep problems, going to bed when sleepy-tired can be much better advice.

• Myth Two: It’s the blue lights from device use keeping young people awake

Gaming and devices can keep us all up later if we get distracted and caught up in them. But the actual light they emit tends not to affect our sleep that much unless we have had very little daylight through the day. It can be more helpful to think about the types of games and content you are looking at before trying to sleep. High stimulation games can leave the brain too ‘wired’ to sleep.  

• Myth Three: You need 8 hours of sleep to stay healthy

Eight hours is an average figure that is out there, but we know that the amount of sleep we need changes through life and differs a lot across individuals. We don’t all go into a shoe shop and buy the average sized shoe. We work out what sized shoe is the best fit for us, and the same applies to the amount of sleep we need.

To get more help and advice on better sleep for teenagers, please visit the Just One Norfolk website.