Jun 11, 2026 · 20 min · 11 segments
In this episode we’re chatting to Nathalie Shek, a paediatric occupational therapist who works with neurodivergent children, young people and families. Sleep hygiene advice such as creating routines…
Natalie SheckGuestRachelHostSarahHostSo we're going to be talking about sleep today.
So I guess one thing that people don't often talk about is what actually is sleep and why is it important for our brains that we get enough sleep?
It's about a 24 hour occupation, because what happens during the day directly shapes how we sleep at night and how we sleep shapes how we function during the day.
So during the day, you've got light exposure, movement, meals, emotional regulation, sensory input, and this all feeds into our circadian rhythm and sleep pressure system.
So while exposure to daylight helps set the timing for when melatonin will be released later on, daytime regulation, activity levels, environment and routines are just as much part of sleep hygiene as bedtime itself.
And then when you get to sleep, sleep allows the brain and body to restore, integrate sensory and emotional experiences and regulate hormones ready for the next day.
And the quality of sleep that influences daytime attention, emotional balance, sensory process and even immune function is is so important so occupationally speaking if we view sleep as an occupation it's one that is prepared protected and supported across the full 24 hours and in doing that sleep the brain goes into through cycles that consolidate learning restore the body balance hormones etc etc and it also sorts and stores memories clears out waste products and resets the nervous system so for children sleep has got a direct impact on their growth emotional regulation attention and it's essential as food and physical movement are So if we look from a sensory integration lens, sleep helps the brain organise all information it's taken during the day.
But when children don't get enough restorative sleep, they appear dysregulated, impulsive or wired, which is why you see the nervous system trying to cope with fatigue.
So, yeah, it really is a 24-hour thing then, isn't it? And it's so important, as you said, all those jobs that sleep provides our body to be able to do is so important that we get enough sleep.
So we're going to be talking about sleep today.
So I guess one thing that people don't often talk about is what actually is sleep and why is it important for our brains that we get enough sleep?
It's about a 24 hour occupation, because what happens during the day directly shapes how we sleep at night and how we sleep shapes how we function during the day.
So during the day, you've got light exposure, movement, meals, emotional regulation, sensory input, and this all feeds into our circadian rhythm and sleep pressure system.
So while exposure to daylight helps set the timing for when melatonin will be released later on, daytime regulation, activity levels, environment and routines are just as much part of sleep hygiene as bedtime itself.
And then when you get to sleep, sleep allows the brain and body to restore, integrate sensory and emotional experiences and regulate hormones ready for the next day.
And the quality of sleep that influences daytime attention, emotional balance, sensory process and even immune function is is so important so occupationally speaking if we view sleep as an occupation it's one that is prepared protected and supported across the full 24 hours and in doing that sleep the brain goes into through cycles that consolidate learning restore the body balance hormones etc etc and it also sorts and stores memories clears out waste products and resets the nervous system so for children sleep has got a direct impact on their growth emotional regulation attention and it's essential as food and physical movement are So if we look from a sensory integration lens, sleep helps the brain organise all information it's taken during the day.
But when children don't get enough restorative sleep, they appear dysregulated, impulsive or wired, which is why you see the nervous system trying to cope with fatigue.
So, yeah, it really is a 24-hour thing then, isn't it? And it's so important, as you said, all those jobs that sleep provides our body to be able to do is so important that we get enough sleep.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.