TPP 502: Alex Mortlock Explains Circadian Rhythm & Complex Sleep Challenges
episode
Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
44 min
1 speaker
3 chapters
transcribed 1 hour ago
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What are circadian rhythm sleep syndromes and why do they matter for children?
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I'm Debbie Reber, and this is Full Tilt Parenting. I have such a fascinating conversation for you today. It's also a long one, so just prepare yourself, maybe divide it into a couple listens, maybe speed it up a little bit, definitely get your notebook. Today we're gonna be diving into the nuanced world of circadian rhythm sleep syndromes and how biological and environmental factors intersect in shaping our kids' sleep. My guest Is Alex Mortlock. He's a registered clinical psychologist who's been in practice since 2010 with training rooted in evidence-based approaches to mental health. His work focuses on the interplay of emotion, cognition, and motivation. And he brings a deeply compassionate, science informed lens to helping families make meaningful changes that support well being.
He's also very much focused in his work on supporting. kids who do have circadian rhythm sleep syndromes. I actually learned about Alex through an article of his I read in Attitude magazine that was so fascinating. And this stuff shows up in my community all the time. So I was really eager to bring Alex on the show. So in this conversation we will unpack what's actually happening when a child's sleep rhythm is out of sync and why this is so often misunderstood. We'll also get into practical strategies. The role of light exposure and light therapy, and whether and how melatonin can be used to support a kid in having a healthier relationship with sleep. Again, super fascinating conversation. I really feel like we just scratched the surface.
So if you have questions that come up in listening to this, or if you're navigating this in your own family and you want to get some more specific guidance, send me an email at infotildeparenting.com. I'm going to Gather questions and then I will bring Alex back on the show to get into it a little more. Okay. Here's Alex Mortlock on circadian rhythm sleep syndromes. Hey Alex, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast.
Hi David, thank you for having me.
Yeah, I am so looking forward to this conversation. So I just want to say first of all, thank you for accepting my invitation from the stranger saying, Please come talk to me about this stuff. My community needs to hear more. But before we dive in, would you share a little bit about your work and your special or your personal interest in the topic we're going to be exploring today, which is complex sleep challenges in neurodivergent kids?
Yeah, so I'm a clinical psychologist and I'm based in Christchurch in New Zealand. I work in my own private practice. I've kind of specialized in treating sleep problems for almost fifteen years now. Insomnia, um, circadian rhythm, sleep disorders, and sometimes helping out in a multidisciplinary team. with people with other conditions like restless leg syndrome and sleep apnea and narcolepsy and Really the full range of sleep disorders. And then I also work a lot with neurodivergent individuals, autism and ADHD a lot as well. uh find these topics particularly fascinating. I've got my own history of sleep problems and I've got neurodivergent children myself and those those areas overlap pretty frequently.
It's good to have a bit of knowledge on all of those areas.
Yeah, it's great when your personal And professional lives intersect. I mean, that's what my life has been like for the past fifteen plus years too. So I'll just say that we've explored sleep challenges. before on the show, specifically things like kids with ADHD who have trouble turning off their brains at night, right? Or who struggle to fall asleep. And we've discussed sleep apnea and how that's more common maybe in kids with ADHD than people may realize.
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Chapters
3 chaptersSpeakers
1 identifiedMore from Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
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