The effects of sleep deprivation on adults is pretty sobering and if you are getting fragmented sleep at night, due to being woken by your sleep deprived baby or child, you will notice these symptoms taking their toll on your job and parenting performance.
a) Impaired decision making- logical/calculating
b) Impaired planning ability
c) Memory loss- short term (the kind that counts on the job!)
d) Lower stress tolerance/threshold (a big negative in parenting!)
e) Trouble concentrating
f) Decreased optimism and sociability
g) Impaired creativity and innovation
h) Increased food consumption and appetite
i) Anxiety
j) Higher resting blood pressure
k) Increased risk of pregnancy complications
l) Increased risk of premature delivery
m) Newborn health complications
n) Post partum depression
Ask yourself this question… If this is what sleep deprivation does to the adult brain and its neurons, what does it do to a child’s, whose brain is still developing? Parents need to understand that their child’s brain needs food. Not the kind you eat. Food nourishes the body. The ‘fuel’ the brain needs and is nourished by, is deep, restorative, un-fragmented sleep.
Many parents do not place near as much emphasis or attention on teaching their children healthy sleep habits as they do teaching their children healthy eating habits. It’s likely due to the fact that pediatricians receive little to no education or training in infant and child sleep, so it is not stressed as important.
Biological sleep needs for a baby and toddler are very different from the needs of an older child or adult. Understanding the powerful sleep waves of circadian rhythms and how they affect babies at different developmental stages plays a foundational role in sleep training.
A certified sleep consultant can play an important role in educating and supporting parents as they seek to provide optimum health and well-being for their precious little ones. Jenni June Certified Los Angeles Sleep Consulting, focuses on educating parents, pediatricians, and caregivers about the vital importance of healthy sleep, and provides practical, safe, and proven methods on how to get more of it for the entire family.