Why Is Sleep Important?
Why is sleep
important? Because it makes you
happy,
healthy and
smart.
That's how I answered my son's question about the importance
of sleep the other day.
And it's true,
the
benefits of
sleep are basic and felt in our everyday lives, from
newborn through adulthood.
Why is sleep important for your baby?
photo
courtesy of a4gpa
It's no secret how important sleep is for babies.
As a parent you know how
happy
and sweet a baby can be after a good sleep - and how
cranky and fussy when tired ...
And if baby sleeps well, you benefit too: you get more sleep, which
makes you feel better
and keeps you healthy. And that again is good for baby.
But there are
more
fundamental benefits of sleep for a baby:
- Hard work is done in a newborn's brain, and
proper brain development
requires enough and good quality sleep.
- When sleeping, a baby
dreams
most of the time. Researchers found that dreaming stimulates baby's
brain
and so assists in its healthy development.
- The first
six months are crucial for developing good sleeping skills. It's
in these months that baby
sleep patterns mature most quickly and
the stage is set for sleep through life.
- Poor
sleep in infancy has been linked to obesity, as a child
and as an adult.
[1]
- Good sleep as a child also decreases the chance for general
health problems and emotional difficulties like
depression and anxiety.
- Good
sleep makes good sleep ... sounds silly but it's true. A
baby that is not overtired, will settle much easier and have better
nights as well.
If your baby does not sleep well ...
Does that mean your child is doomed to be unhealthy and unhappy? No, of
course not. What we call
"not
sleeping well" is usually just fine for baby.
Your
baby may not be taking any naps at all or may not be sleeping through
the night at 6 months or at 18 months. But that can still be just fine
for her and give her enough good quality sleep.
What is important is that we give baby
the right support to
go through that all important development of sleep organisation in the
first six months.
How? By
guiding in a
loving and determined way. Loving means with enough
attention for her needs and natural baby and
infant
sleep patterns.
And
without forcing her
sleep unnaturally (like overfeeding or certain medical
sleep aids).
Determined
means you don't necessarily give her all the freedom: you choose where
and how she sleeps, when you put her to bed, when is play time and when
is quiet time ...
That gives your baby the
safe
and consistent environment to develop her sleeping at best.
The
sleep
disturbers and
baby
sleep through the night pages offer ideas and useful tricks.
Top of page
If YOU are tired ...
The first
effect of
sleep deprivation is always emotional: we feel down, low
on energy and without much confidence in what we do.
It's good to know this and to think about it when you feel depressed
after many broken nights with your baby. It's
only the lack of
sleep doing this -
it's
not you not being strong enough or not trying hard enough.
Help yourself
by catching up on sleep as much as you can. A quick nap, an early night
or even an hour or so between the last day and first night feeding can
work wonders. You may find some
simple
relaxation techniques helpful too.
Also,
do not hesitate to ask your partner, family or friends to help you from
time to time, for example with babysitting while you nap. If you would
like support you can also
contact
me or
Ask
me A Question here.
The answer to the
Why
Is Sleep Important? question is in all of the above.
Sleep
is very natural but often not easy, especially in today's
rushed
times. The best tip I could give is to keep the importance of sleep in
the back of your mind, but do not over-emphasize. Keeping
a relaxed
attitude will help you and your baby sleep better too.
Top of page
[1] Sleep and physical growth in
infants during the first 6 months
Tikotzky L, De Marcas G, Har-Toov J. et al. - Journal of Sleep Research,
2009. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2869.2009.00772.x