Sleep, Sleep and more Sleep

05/19/2015

Written by: @GabDiesendorf

In order to establish a good and healthy rapport with your child, a good night’s sleep is what both mothers and babies need. Sleep affects psychological and physical development and mothers who do not get enough sleep may develop health and parenting problems. Educating yourself why sleep is important is of utmost importance in order to be able to find techniques to sleep better.

Why does your baby need sleep?

Brain development and learning

One of the prerequisites of the proper brain development of your baby is a good night’s rest. Additionally, there is a correlation between memory and sleep. Babies who sleep more hours a day have better developed cognitive abilities than babies who sleep less hours. According to a study, babies who slept after the recording of a fake language had better abstract memories of this language than babies who did not sleep after the recording. Finally, when babies sleep they dream and dream positively correlates with the healthy development.

Growth

Sleep is one of the factors that can influence the production of growth hormone. When it comes to children, this hormone is released during sleep. Additionally, scientists found a correlation between children’s obesity at the age of three and not enough sleep. During sleep, brain controls the hunger.

Mood

According to a study which had as its participants babies who took the nap and babies who missed the nap, well-rested babies were not fussy and they were not distressed.

How to teach your baby to sleep?

When your baby is drowsy, immediately put her/him to sleep. Let your baby sleep on the back. You can rock your baby or sing to her/him in order to help her/him sleep. Dress the baby so that he/she feels comfortable. Swaddle bags like Joey Pouch  are recommended for infants because your baby is comfortable in it and it makes sure your baby sleeps on his/her back.

Sleep deprivation may cause postpartum depression leading to many other problems such as behavioural problems with children, the risk of children developing depression and the risk of developing insecure attachments. To sum up, sleep deprivation may not only lead to health problems but it can also affect parenting. As with the babies, sleep deprivation leads to less dreaming which can cause memory lapses during the day. Sleep is beneficial for another reason: during sleep, brain releases hormones necessary for the normal functioning of the body. Sleep deprivation may cause a lack of emotional stability and lack of concentration.

Why do mothers need sleep?

How mothers can get enough sleep?

According to various studies, breastfeeding mothers get more sleep than bottle-feeding ones. In addition to more hours of sleep breastfeeding mothers get, they get better quality sleep as well. Furthermore, many studies discovered that co-sleeping infants wake and cry less during night which means more sleep for mothers. You do not have to bedshare with your child, you can simply put the crib near your bed. During daily naps, it is highly recommended that mothers sleep as well.

You can make a plan of daily activities including daily naps for both you and your baby. Do not underestimate the importance of sleep. The only way you can enjoy parenting is when you are rested and in good-mood and sleep can provide you with that.