Here are three misunderstood elements of sleep for infants and children age 5-18:
1. Brain development - A study released recently by Dr. Gravin, M.D. and Dr. Brown, Ph.D. demonstrated that proper sleep cycles are necessary for the development of neurosensory and motor systems in fetus, newborns, children and teenagers. This means that repeated cycling through all the stages of sleep is essential for the body's nervous system to develop properly. Furthermore, since babies develop so many motor skills throughout the first year of their life, sleep is essential in order to allow the body to reach it's optimum potential in terms of rolling, sitting, crawling and walking. Infant sleep cycles need to be longer than 45 minutes in order for a full, restorative cycle to be completed. If one has a poor napper, that is all the more reason to address night sleep as soon as possible so that the infant or child is at least getting some chance to develop their nervous system and motor skills properly.
2. Muscle Development - Muscle development happens almost exclusively during sleep! And this doesn't just matter if you're trying to bulk up - children spend a lot of their time growing and lengthening, turning baby fat into muscles. If infants and children are not sleeping properly, their muscles are not developing properly!
3. Lack of Sleep Contributes to Hyperactivity and Problematic Behavioral Issues - The New England Center for Pediatric Psychology has coined the term Faux ADHD to describe children who have been diagnosed with ADHD, but whose behaviors are in fact directly linked to two detrimental sleep behaviors:
First children who did not sleep in their own bed display ADHD-like behaviors 7 times more often than children who sleep on their own, and second, children who did not have a consistent bedtime were 8 times more likely to display ADHD-like behaviors than children who have a consistent nightly bedtime.
If one is struggling with a child who displays ADHD-like behaviors, make sure sleep is ruled out as an issue first, especially if the child is not responding well to medications.
Natalie Willes is not a medical doctor and this press release is not intended to give medical advice.
Natalie Willes, coined as the "Sleep Training Guru", is a certified child sleep consultant in Los Angeles, who has helped parents across the country teach their children to develop healthy sleep habits. Natalie has experience with newborns, toddlers, children over five, teens and even ends up helping parents too.
