Tidbits from a Sleep Specialist’s Presentation
Feb 8, 2011 at 4:10PM Obviously, if you’re dealing with serious sleep issues, an appointment with a professional is in order. Relative to Beat the Too-Tired Crabbies, we’ll just hit what we see as highlights put into our own words.
1) Some aspects of sleep are genetically determined:
- Total sleep needed
As a guide, the average combined hours of night-time sleep plus naps are:
Infant (0-12 months) - 14-18 hours
Toddler (13-36 months) - 13 hours
Preschooler (3-6 years) - 12 hours
School-age (6-12 years) - 10-11 hours
- Timing of sleep as in ‘night owls’ and ‘early risers’
- Bottom Line: fighting straight up against genetics is going to be a hard Too-Tired battle to win. Think in terms of thoughtfulness and gentleness to work through your child’s realistic sleep needs and sleep times.
2) Less sleep than one’s genetic need invites trouble.
- Sleep deficits don’t just go away. They add up!
3) Lighting matters:
- Decrease evening light
- Avoid ‘screen time’ too close to bedtime – seriously, this matters
- Increase bright light exposure for waking
4) “Let ‘em cry it out!” to force falling asleep is not the answer.
5) Consider the ‘gradual extinction method of sleep training’ (doing a search on this will provide you with very helpful information).
6) Sleep onset and early waking problems might actually be a sign of something else:
- Milk-protein intolerance
- Reflux
- Asthma
For the complicated stuff - this is why we have doctors!
Reader Comments (7)
not a bad read, wish this stuff was available when my kids were little. when we were little our father would talk about our dreams with us. check this article out http://www.streetarticles.com/mind-development/dream-interpretation always encourage your kids to talk to you about anything.
Lactose Intolerance are a problem for growing children wherein milk is a good source for calcium and protein. However, there are calcium and protein food supplements for children from supplements canada.
Thank you. I just found this blog and what a great resource! It is a good blog and their posts are effective. This is very nice post! I will bookmark this blog. zeezuo zeezuo - Moncler jackets france.
There are plenty of information about this topic in the net & some are definitely better than others.
This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing websites that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free.
Well written post raising important points about sleep issues. many thanks for sharing!
So cute! I already like you on FB and also get your posts on Google Reader. :) crmxtx crmxtx - moncler jackets.