To Sleep per Chance to Dream
New research suggests that poor sleep habits, and inadequate amounts of sleep in children can lead to long term physical and mental health problems.
A study done by Valerie Simard of Hospital de Sacre-Coeur in Montreal has confirmed the findings of numerous other studies performed and reported in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
Much of these disturbances can be attributed to maladaptive habits of parents in their attempts to get their children to sleep. I remember vividly the angst my husband and I experienced when our daughter was a baby and her normal sleep schedule would get disrupted. It is not easy to teach your child to develop the ability to self-soothe but it is a crucial part of our responsibility as a parent. While there are some exceptions to these rules which are usually culturally specific (e.g., use of the "family bed" in certain cultures), there are some big mistakes parents make as they struggle to simply get their child to sleep. When children wake up frightened, it is necessary to comfort and assure them that they are safe but staying with them until they fall asleep is not advisable.
Another common mistake committed by struggling parents whose child has awakened in the middle of the night, is to bring the child into bed with them or to offer food or drink to the child (this does not apply to infants who do in fact wake up hungry). Many times parents will do whatever it takes to get their child back to sleep and in the hopes of getting themselves back to sleep as well. I have many parents tell me that if they bring their child to bed with them everyone can go back to sleep. While this may be true, it is a short term solution and may create long term problems. Of course the occasional snuggle time and random night of everyone in the same bed can be a wonderful bonding experience but, as a rule, everyone will get a better night sleep in their own bed and your child will learn to put himself back to sleep when he wakes in the middle of the night. This is a valuable skill and one that is said to be learned very early in life. There is compelling evidence that maladaptive sleeping behavior which leads to insufficient and interrupted sleep can lead to major health problems as children become teens and then adults.
A bit of sound sleep advice is to go to bed at the same time every night and to avoid too much stimulation before bed such as a loud and action-packed television program. And definitely keep the television out of your child's room. Try to stick to a bedtime routine that is comforting to your child and helps ease her into the transition from her busy day to a peaceful night's sleep.
