In this episode, Dr Ian Dunican talks to Professor Sarah Blunden, whom he recently connected with at the Australasian Sleep Association' Sleep Down Under' conference in South Australia. Sarah's research and work centres around paediatric sleep, focusing on promoting the importance of healthy sleep habits while young, paving the way for quality sleep in adulthood. Her main areas of interest are infant sleep and sleep interventions (that do not necessitate ignoring nor controlled crying), sleep education in schools and communities, and Indigenous sleep health.
As an avid young dancer growing up in Adelaide, Sarah successfully obtained a highly coveted position to train with the prestigious Australian Ballet School in Melbourne. At 20 years of age, she moved abroad and performed all over central Europe with a French ballet company. After developing Rheumatoid Arthritis 10 years later, Sarah bid farewell to the touring and travelling life and returned home to commence her Honors, Master and Ph.D. studies in the field of children's sleep.
Sarah is recognised as an authority on children's sleep and is widely published in the field. She has given over 70 presentations to academics, health, education, and medical professionals. Additionally, Sarah has published over 100 academic papers and books, with one such publication, 'The Boss of My Sleep’ highlighted in the discussion.
Sarah is Head of Paediatric Sleep Research at Central Queensland University, the Founder/Director of the Australian Centre for Education in Sleep and Research, an Advisor to the Australian Psychological Society, and a practising Clinical Psychologist at the Paediatric Sleep Clinic. The Sensible Sleep website contains information on training programs created by Sarah for infant and toddler sleep intervention and junior and senior school children's sleep education, along with many free resources available for teachers, industry professionals and parents.
Items discussed on the podcast
Australasian Sleep Association https://sleep.org.au/
Sensible Sleep incorporates The Australian Centre for Education in Sleep (ACES), The Paediatric Sleep and Psychology Clinic (therapeutic arm) http://www.sensiblesleep.com/
To learn more about the Gentle Methods of Self Soothing (GeMMS) program https://sensiblesleep.com/course/blunden-responsive-gemss-method/
To view a list of Sarah's books and publications https://sensiblesleep.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Publications-Books.pdf
To view available free downloads and resources: https://sensiblesleep.com/books-resources/
To view sleep education programs and courses available to teachers and schools https://sensiblesleep.com/course/blunden-responsive-gemss-method/#teachers_schools_programs
The Boss of My Sleep book is a downloadable book explaining a non-cry intensive sleep intervention system for parents to use with their child https://snoozeforkids.com/product/the-boss-of-my-sleep-ebook/
To view parenting seminars on the Government of South Australia website:
https://parenting.sa.gov.au/easy-guides/sleep-and-toddlers-sarah-blunden/
https://parenting.sa.gov.au/easy-guides/sleep-and-teenagers-sarah-blunden/
To read the paper by Alison Glass, Ceinwyn Attrill, Chris Magee, Sarah Blunden,
Factors associated with melatonin use in child sleep disturbance: A survey of Australian parents, Sleep Medicine https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389945723001624
Connect with Sarah Blunden:
ORCID: (links to published research) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5026-1992
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/sarah-blunden-58445b5b
Research Gate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sarah-Blunden-2
Email: (Paediatric Sleep Clinic) admin@upstreamhealthsa.com.au
Email: (Central Queensland University) s.blunden@cqu.edu.au
Central Queensland University, Australia - Professor of Clinical Psychology and Head of Paediatric Sleep Research https://staff-profiles.cqu.edu.au/home/view/1078
Contact me: at iandunican@sleep4performance.com.au or w
