The Sleep Solution: Kathryn Steele of VocoVision On How Sleep Will Lead To a Healthier, Happier Life
An Interview With Shawna Robins
Better sleep for others in your household means better sleep for you, too. As I mentioned in the “mom brain” section of this article, the sleep (or lack of sleep) of your significant others will also affect your own sleep. In my clinical experience, one significant interruption to the household happens when a child has nightmares. To prevent nightmares, or deal with them when they happen, create a secure environment for your child, such as a favorite object or a nightlight. The next day, be sure to discuss the nightmare with your child or have the child draw the nightmare and throw it away.
In today’s fast-paced world, sleep often takes a backseat to our busy schedules and endless to-do lists. However, quality sleep is crucial for our overall health and happiness. How can we prioritize sleep to improve our well-being and lead a more fulfilling life? As part of this interview series, we had the pleasure to interview Kathryn Steele, Ph.D.
Kathryn Steele, Ph.D. has practiced school psychology for almost two decades. Her early career included experience in brick-and-mortar schools, hospitals, and private practice. Since 2017, she has specialized in telepractice in schools. Currently, she is the Director of Clinical Services for VocoVision, a national school-based telepractice company.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to ‘get to know you’. Can you tell us a bit about your background and your backstory?
I am a school psychologist. School psychologists are experts in students’ mental health, learning, and behavior. We apply that knowledge to help students succeed across all environments. I worked in brick-and-mortar settings at the beginning of my career, but I have been working from home for the last few years. Telepractice is an exciting development in this field, as we are able to reach all students and help them succeed, even those who live in remote areas or who require a clinician with specialized skills.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to your particular career path?
I have always been interested in how people think, learn, and develop. I worked in traditional school settings for many years, where I was able to help teams create education plans for students based on their own personal strengths and weaknesses. It was very gratifying to help make a positive impact in the lives of students and their families by increasing their chances of success at school. However, the hours were long, and the work often took me away from my own family. I decided to transition to telepractice as a way to create a better work-life balance, and I have never looked back!
Can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority in the sleep and wellness fields? In your opinion, what is your unique contribution to the world of wellness?
As a school psychologist who works virtually, I am very interested in how digital technology affects children. Because students often choose to stay on devices rather than sleep, I started investigating sleep deprivation in children. I was surprised to learn how sleep can affect so many parts of our lives, such as our mental and physical health.
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.” — Reba McEntire
Success requires some goalsetting and thinking about where you want to be. You need to move toward those goals with courage and determination, and hopefully you will have some fun along the way. In my professional journey, I knew that I wanted to increase flexibility in my work life so that I could spend more time with my family. I waited for the right opportunity, and when it came, I put everything I had into it. That attitude opened so many doors and relationships for me. Now I am in a position to enjoy both my work and my time away from work.
Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. Can you share an impactful case study or example from your experience where improving someone’s sleep significantly transformed their overall health and well-being?
Sometimes simple changes can have a huge impact. For example, I had a young client with autism who had significant sensory challenges and limited communication skills. This child slept only a few hours each night, and sleep deprivation was having a significant effect on both the child and her parents. The child would go to sleep without difficulty, but she would wake up two or three hours later in full tantrum mode. The parents kept a sleep diary for a couple of weeks so that we could track patterns. Ultimately, we realized that the child did not like a particular blanket; it was too hot and too scratchy. When we replaced the blanket, the child started sleeping for longer intervals, and ultimately, she started sleeping through the night. We often take our sleep environment for granted, but comfort is critical to a good night’s sleep.
What are some of the most surprising findings from your research or clinical practice about how sleep affects different aspects of our lives?
As I mentioned before, I am particularly interested in how sleep deprivation affects students. There is a significant amount of evidence to suggest that sleep deprivation is harmful to students in many areas of their lives. Children and teenagers should get about 8 hours of sleep each night. However, in one study, 57.8% of middle school students, and 72.7% of high school students, reported getting less than the recommended amount of sleep for their age.
Mental health concerns, including depression, suicidality, and engaging in risky behaviors, are related to sleep deprivation. For example, studies revealed that students who sleep less than six hours a night are three times as likely to consider or attempt suicide, compared to students who get a full night’s sleep.
Technology also affects sleep deprivation. Approximately 57% of teens who use technology in the bedroom suffer from sleep problems. Teens who have televisions or other screens, including phones, in their bedroom consistently report worse sleep quality than their counterparts without screens.
Finally, quality sleep is necessary for many higher-level cognitive tasks, such as paying attention, completing tasks, social skills, and consolidating memories. Incidentally, these are also some of the core symptoms of ADHD, a diagnosis that affects 1 in 9 people in the United States. While there are certainly a lot of individuals with this disorder, it is also likely that clinicians are noticing these symptoms and diagnosing ADHD rather than considering chronic sleep deprivation.
Can you tell us about a time when you personally experienced the profound effects of poor sleep and what you did to overcome it?
My sleep was probably most affected when I was pregnant with my daughters and soon after they were born. I definitely experienced symptoms of the “mom brain,” such as forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating. This continued until we settled into a routine, and then I was able to sleep normally again.
To establish a routine, I had to change some things about my own behavior during the day. I took walks outside when I could to re-establish my own body’s circadian rhythm. I would take naps when the baby slept so that I would be less affected by lack of nighttime sleep. I tried to set parameters on a lot of aspects of life, such as when to accept visitors and when to ask for help or say “no” to extra tasks. It was difficult and took some time, but changing my daytime behaviors really helped me prepare for sleep.
Ok. Here is the main question of our discussion. Can you please share “5 Ways That Better Sleep Will Improve Your Life”? If you can, kindly share a story or example for each.
- Better sleep improves your ability to deal with daily stress. A consistent sleep schedule improves your ability to deal with daily life stressors. Therefore, it is important to establish a consistent sleep schedule and stick with it, whether it is a weekday or weekend. This can be tricky, particularly when you experience a time change, when traveling, or when your children go back to school after a break. When a change is necessary, try to make it gradual by slowly moving your bedtime over several nights.
- Better sleep lessens your anxiety. Anxiety is often more pronounced at nighttime than during the day. When you create a bedtime routine and follow the same steps each night, you are signaling to your body that it is time to go to sleep. This will help you lower anxiety, fall asleep faster, and spend more time in deep sleep. Create a nightly routine of relaxing activities, such as reading, music, or a warm bath. Be sure to turn off devices about an hour before you want to go to sleep so that your melatonin levels are not affected by the light. In fact, keep devices out of your bedroom whenever possible.
- Better sleep improves your memory. Make your bedroom a sensory environment conducive to sleep. A calming environment will reduce your arousal or alertness levels, allowing you to fall asleep. As you may recall from the example of my therapy client, comfort matters! Your mattress, pillow, sheets, and blankets should feel comfortable to you. Light, sound, temperature, and smells may also affect your sleep. For example, older adults exposed to scents from a nightly essential oil diffuser demonstrated a 226% greater improvement on a word recall test, relative to a control group with no diffusers.
- Better sleep contributes to better physical health. Poor sleep is associated with weight gain, high blood pressure, and a higher body mass index. Many people try to counteract tiredness with caffeine and sugar, which also have negative long-term effects on the body. To prevent dietary choices from affecting sleep, try to complete meals and exercise 3–4 hours ahead of your bedtime. This will give your body a chance to relax so that you can begin your bedtime routine.
- Better sleep for others in your household means better sleep for you, too. As I mentioned in the “mom brain” section of this article, the sleep (or lack of sleep) of your significant others will also affect your own sleep. In my clinical experience, one significant interruption to the household happens when a child has nightmares. To prevent nightmares, or deal with them when they happen, create a secure environment for your child, such as a favorite object or a nightlight. The next day, be sure to discuss the nightmare with your child or have the child draw the nightmare and throw it away.
What are some of the most memorable success stories you’ve encountered where individuals drastically improved their lives by changing their sleep habits?
You’ve probably heard people say (or said yourself) that it is important to get a good night’s sleep the night before a big task, like a final exam or a job interview. While that is true, studies show that consistent sleep in the weeks before the big event are actually the key to performance. Because information is moved to long-memory while we are sleeping, better grades are associated with better quality sleep during the learning period rather than simply the night before.
Thomas Edison realized that the first stage of sleep is a period in which we often have creative thoughts. He learned to hold metal balls in his hands while taking naps. Soon after he fell asleep, the ball fell out of his hand and woke up him. He was then able to remember the thought or solution that came to him during that creative period. That change in napping habits had a profound effect on all of us!
Sometimes our lives literally depend upon adequate sleep. The CDC estimates that 1 in 25 drivers have fallen asleep behind the wheel. According to the National Sleep Foundation, about 6,400 people die each year in crashes involving “drowsy driving.”
Clearly, adequate sleep affects many aspects of our lives, from academics to creativity to physical safety.
How have advancements in sleep science and technology changed the way you approach sleep wellness, and do you have any personal anecdotes about these changes in practice?
Sleep technology can definitely help you create consistent routines for bedtime and waking. Many people use sleep trackers, such as watches and rings, to find patterns in their sleep metrics and consider areas to improve. Several types of gadgets contribute to the sensory environment conducive for sleep. White noise machines can create soothing background noises, and smart sleep masks can block out light. Sunrise alarm clocks work with your circadian rhythms to wake you up naturally. I am a personal fan of sleep apps, such as Headspace and Calm, that can be worked into your routine. I often fall asleep listening to music on Spotify, which has a sleep timer setting.
Wonderful. We are nearly done. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
Taylor Swift. Due to her travel schedule, I’ll bet she has learned some important lessons on how to beat jet lag and sleep well. I’d love to get some tips from her to share with other Swifties who are looking to improve their sleep!
How can our readers further follow your work online?
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
About the Interviewer: Shawna Robins is an international best-selling author of two books — Powerful Sleep — Rest Deeply, Repair Your Brain and Restore Your Life, and Irresistibly Healthy — Simple Strategies to Feel Vibrant, Alive, Healthy and Full of Energy Again. Shawna is the founder and CEO of Third Spark, an online wellness hub for women over 40 who want to reignite their sleep, reset healthier habits and respark their lives. Shawna is a sleep expert, hormone health expert, and a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBHWC). She has been featured on many podcasts including Dr. Mindy Pelz’s “The Resetter Podcast” and in Authority Magazine, Thrive Global, and The Huffington Post. A free download of her latest book can be found at www.thirdsparkhealth.com/powerful-sleep/ You can follow her on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
