A BENDIGO nurse is helping children get a good night's sleep with the help of music.
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Deb Herdman, a nurse with more than 20 years of experience, created a CD for her own child and now has other mothers knocking on her door for the "magic cure to sleeplessness" - the Nigh Nigh Sleepy Head Lullaby.
"The response has been really positive," Ms Herdman said.
"There's nothing out there like this - nothing's been done that has lyrics and instrumental in the one CD."
Ms Herdman said her discovery came about by accident.
"I was just sitting and the piano and played this melody and thought, 'oh that's a nice melody and put some chords with it', and just straight away the lyrics came to me," she said.
"When I tried it worked straight away - my little boy was three-years-old at that time and terrible at trying to get to sleep.
"He'd still be in his bed awake at 11pm at night.
"I was just amazed at the results and thought it would be something that would help other parents get their children asleep."
Ms Herdman said studies of more than 10,000 children by University College London revealed a clear clinical and statistically significant link between bedtimes and behavior.
"Most people know when their children don't sleep well their behaviour's not good," she said.
"New studies are showing that there's an actual link between the length of sleep.
"It can have a huge effect on their brain because there's hyperactive states and they can be diagnosed with ADHD.
"It's a pretty amazing thing to think, 'well if they just had more sleep they might not have this diagnosis'."
Ms Herdman said it was important for parents not to mess with their toddler's sleep routine during the festive season.
“In my experience, there is no doubt that irregular bed times affect children’s behavior as it disrupts their circadian rhythms which leads to sleep deprivation that affects the developing brain,” she said.
For more information about the product email deb@nighnigh.com.au or visit the website www.nighnigh.com.au