Portrait of a young boy asleep on his desk in school.

As the parent of a child with dyslexia, you know that school is more stressful for them than most. That's why so many dyslexic students suffer with issues related to stress and sleep. If you don't get enough sleep, it creates more stress, and if you're stressed, you can't sleep. It's a vicious cycle. If your child is struggling with these issues, these tips will help him regain his balance and get the most out of school.

Limit your naps

This tip will very much depend on the age of your child. If your child is younger, he still may need naps during the day. If the child is older though, discourage him  from taking naps. It may help in the short term, but it'll make it much harder to get to sleep when it comes to bedtime.

Avoid caffeine before bed

Caffeine may be helping your teenager get through their classes, but it can also play havoc with her sleep schedule. If your child is drinking coffee through the school day, this may be why she can't sleep at night. Ask your child to stop drinking coffee after 12pm, and she should see an improvement in her sleep schedule.

Use effective learning tools

A major contributor to your child's stress can be his study schedule. As he is dealing with dyslexia, he or she can be finding his studies tougher than their peers. If he is trying to keep up with classes and finding it difficult, it's easy for him to become stressed and anxious. If you want to help your child tackle these issues, use effective learning tools. For example, Studydemic helps your child with grammar and Revieweal can tutor him in essay writing.

Get regular exercise

There's plenty of reasons why students should all be getting regular exercise. It keeps you healthy, keeps your weight down, and it helps you feel good in yourself. As well as this, it's a key part of getting regular sleep and will keep stress levels down, too. If your child gets some exercise in the day, though, ensure that she stop at least three hours before bedtime. If your child is taking part in school sports, these should usually end at the right time.

Don't go to bed unless you're sleepy

A good bedtime is important, but if you send your child to bed and he is not tired, then lying there awake can be infuriating for him. If the child is older, try letting him go to bed only when he is tired. This means your child will associate his bedroom only with sleep, rather than frustration.

Use writing to relieve stress

Encourage your child to start writing in a journal to express her feelings. Journals are for the writer's eyes only, and so your child can write without worrying about how it looks. It can be a great way to relieve stress and start getting to grips with her feelings. If your child wants to start writing with others, she can try a writing community such as AustralianReviewer.

Only use your bed for sleep

Children spend a lot of time in their rooms, and that means their beds can pull double duty. This can stop them from sleeping though, when the time comes. Instead, encourage your child to come away from the bed when he is reading or doing homework. That means that his brains will associate the bed with sleep and sleep only.

Use background noise

Is your child finding it hard to concentrate? Then having some music on in the background could help. Find something that's not too distracting, and set it to a low level. This also helps if she is trying to sleep. Low calming music, or even a white noise machine, could help your child get to sleep.

Try and take breaks during the day

If you don't stop during the day, you're creating more stress for yourself. Ever gone to bed at the end of a busy day, and found that you just can't sleep because you have racing thoughts? If your child takes breaks throughout the day, you'll find this happens much less. There are plenty of tools that can help you achieve this, too. Try using writing services such as Best British Essays, UK Top Writers or Grade On Fire (recommended by Huffington Post in a Dissertation Writing Services article) to cut down the time he spends writing essays, for example.

Try meditation

If stress is getting to your child, give meditation a try. It's been shown to boost concentration and test scores, so it's certainly worth a go. Find a quiet space to practice in, and let your child relax. If you want some help, there are a plethora of apps and websites that offer guided meditation programs that you can follow.

Stress can be a constant in your child's life, but with these tips you'll be able to control it. Give them a try, and you'll find his or her stress levels and sleep will improve dramatically. Help your child get the most out of their studies by promoting a good night’s sleep.

Mary Walton has a blog - Simple Grad where she writes about education, reviews online services for students and suggests useful tips.