Sleep Smart Psychology Group

06/14/2022

Exciting Update!! Both Drs. Atlin and Rogojanski are now certified in Perinatal Mental Health

04/29/2020

To sleep train or not during a pandemic?

As psychologists who specialize in mental health and sleep, we are often asked whether to sleep train now or wait until after the pandemic is over. While we are all doing a lot of juggling right now and sleep training may not be something you want to add to the list, this may actually be the best time to sleep train. Here are a few of the reasons why:

1. Due to physical distancing requirements, most of us have flexibility in our schedules. Developing a schedule that is most conducive to your child’s sleep is one of the primary goals of sleep training. During the initial weeks of training, we need to be the most adherent to this schedule in order to get the child’s sleep on track, and this may include a temporary early bedtime. This can be a challenge for families when they are busy with work, activities, and social plans. However, since most of us are currently stuck in the house because of the pandemic, this creates a great opportunity for sleep training because we are better able to follow sleep schedules and meet those early bedtimes. Once a child is trained and sleeping better overall, these bedtimes can often be moved later, which will make life easier once physical distancing guidelines are loosened and we are able to leave the house again.


2. Routine is very important for all of us during these stressful times. Our routines have all changed and most people are settling into their new “normal” at home. Routines are helpful for both adults, kids, and babies as they provide structure to our day! This is a great time to focus on developing bedtime routines and setting solid bedtime boundaries. A well-rested child (and parent) will feel and function better throughout the day, which will also be helpful for coping with all of the uncertainty we are experiencing during this stressful time.

3. “Me” time. Most parents have limited “Me” time right now between juggling the kids, home schooling, work, and housekeeping demands. Naps allow for a necessary break to get some work done, spend time with other children in the home, or to recharge and de-stress. Similarly, stress-free bedtimes will give parents their evenings back, which can be used to catch up on work, clean, exercise, relax, watch Netflix, etc. This is vital for mental health as most of us have lost our “village” during this time, whether that be a nanny, childcare/school, and/or family support, and as a result, have taken on a lot of extra work.

For all these reasons, we believe that this is a great time to focus on your child’s sleep, and we are here to help you through this process. Feel free to reach out with questions about your own sleep or the sleep of your little ones!

03/14/2020

Given recent events with the spread of COVID-19, we are doing our part for social distancing as these events are unfolding. We know a lot of you are anxious due to the uncertainty of what’s to come and we want to be here to support you through this. Our services are business as usual, but we are only offering online video sessions at the current time for everyone’s safety. These troubled times will end, and we will all keep doing our best in the meantime to get through this.

03/02/2020

Time to “Spring Forward” this weekend! What does this time change mean? Routines may be a little off while everyone adjusts. The time change can bring on anxiety for parents, but it does not need to as babies, kids, and adults will all adjust after a few days. You can gradually shift sleep bedtimes and risetimes by 10 minutes each day leading up to the change or shift the entire schedule on Sunday (which may involve setting an alarm and waking your little ones)! Either way, our bodies will adjust to the new time. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

11/19/2019

Sleep trackers that are integrated into wearable devices such as the Fitbit are becoming more and more commonly used, and we often get asked about them during sleep consultations. Although we support people learning about and prioritizing their sleep, we've also observed an increase in our clients' preoccupation or concern with perfecting their sleep, leading to significant anxiety that counterintuitively exacerbates sleep problems. This phenomenon, termed "orthosomnia," can lead to unhealthy sleep habits that reinforce sleep anxiety and perfectionism. And, to make matters worse, the data derived from these devices is limited because it does not correlate well with other validated sleep measures (like actigraphy and polysomnography).

If you're struggling with an unhealthy preoccupation and anxiety about your sleep, we can help! Get in touch to learn more.

10/17/2019

With the recent legalization of ma*****na, and the current CBD craze, we often get asked about the use of CBD for sleep. Our response is that we just don’t know enough about it yet, and many of the claims being made about CBD are unsubstantiated. When it comes to sleep, the limited research that does exist is mixed, with no gold standard randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials on sleep disorders and CBD yet conducted. If you’re suffering from insomnia, we can help and our treatment is backed by extensive research showing it’s effectiveness. Contact us to learn more.

More than 60 percent of CBD users were taking it for anxiety, according to a survey of 5,000 people. Does it help?

10/08/2019

*EXCITING NEWS*
Our website is up and running. Please stop by and take a look:

09/23/2019

A new study shows that even a few days of sleep deprivation can make us feel less full after eating and metabolize the fat in our foods differently. The benefits of good sleep cannot be undersold. If you’re struggling with your sleep, or the sleep of your little one, contact us for help. There are smart sleep solutions that work!

A restricted-sleep schedule built to resemble an American work week made study participants feel less full after a fatty meal and altered their lipid metabolism. One night of recovery sleep helped, but didn't completely erase the effects of sleep restriction.

09/05/2019

We often think about the sleep challenges we will experience postpartum, but insomnia is an extremely common symptom during pregnancy that is often left untreated. However, the truth is, you don’t need to suffer through it or accept it as a “normal” part of pregnancy. CBT for Insomnia is both effective and safe for women during pregnancy, and can reduce risk factors for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders postpartum. Contact us for more info!

While we tend to think of sleep deprivation as a postpartum issue, sleep problems are relatively common during pregnancy, with 15% to 80% of women reporting sleep problems during the first trimester and 66% to 97% of women in the third trimester. There are data to support the

08/29/2019

Parents often worry about attachment, wanting to do all they can to ensure their kids have the best foundation possible for success in life. This is often a concern that parents raise with us when it comes to sleep training. We get it - both as psychologists and moms ourselves, we know the importance of secure attachment. But the good news is that we don’t have to be “perfect” parents to have well-adjusted and securely attached kids. Newer research indicates that being a “good enough” parents who is responsive to their infant’s crying at least half of the time significantly predicts secure infant attachment. So the short-term increase in crying during sleep training within the context of an otherwise loving and responsive parent-child relationship won’t lead to attachment issues down the road. In our practice, we tailor our methods to suit the individual needs and comfort level of the families we work with, from gentle to more direct, as there’s more than one way to get the job done. For more information, feel free to reach out!

New research finds that caregivers need only 'get it right' half the time when responding to babies’ need for attachment to have a positive impact on a baby.

08/06/2019

Hi Everyone! Welcome to Sleep Smart Psychology Group. We are a team of licensed clinical psychologists who specialize in adult sleep disorders and have now expanded our area of specialty to include infant, toddler, and preschooler sleep. Since we are registered psychologists, our services are often covered by extended health benefit plans. Both Dr. Jenny Rogojanski and Dr. Taryn Atlin are registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario and certified sleep consultants with the Family Sleep Institute. We offer a variety of different packages and treatment options tailored to best suit your needs.

Our website is currently under construction, but if you are interested in our services, you can reach us via Facebook or email us at sleepsmartpg@gmail.com