July 2003 - Adventist.org - Lake Union Conference

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Sleep, Baby, SleepBY SUSAN E. MURRAYWe have all heard of chronically overtired momsand dads, but have you thought that a babycould also be chronically overtired? Infants who don’tget enough sleep or who sleep poorly are often seenby their parents as difficult and highly stressful. Often,when this happens, babies suffer from not only theirown poor sleep quality but from the impatience oftheir exhausted parents. Unfortunately, well-meaningparents and caregivers often contribute to the sleepdifficulties of little ones.Some believe in the “cry-it-out” approach to gettingbabies to sleep, while others believe that a babyneeds to be held and rocked until he falls asleep naturally.While there are many “okay” ways to helpbabies sleep, I’d like to suggest that the most sensibleand compassionate approach is to respond to a baby’scries, yet the ways we do that can be effective or noteffective. More than 50 percent of babies who sufferfrom sleep problems continue these problems as theygrow up to the preschool and school-age periods, butparents can improve their infant’s sleep and in turnget more rest themselves.Here are some baby-sleep facts:Newborn babies sleep 16–18 hours a day, distributed evenly over six toseven brief sleep periods.All babies awaken in the night, usually two to three times a night up to sixmonths, and once or twice a night up to one year. Some awaken once anight through the first two years.A baby is considered “sleeping through the night” when she sleeps five consecutivehours.While this may not be your definition of sleeping throughthe night, it is the reasonable yardstick by which we measure baby’s sleep. Most babies are primed to go to sleep for the night as early as 6:30 or 7:30p.m. (Pantley, 2002). Babies and toddlers often have “melt down” periodsat the end of the day when they get fussy and whiny. They are exhibitingsigns of being overtired and longing for sleep.Keeping your baby up so he will sleep longer or later usually backfires.Regular naps improve nighttime sleep. Naps should happen immediatelywhen a baby shows signs of tiredness. If you wait too long, baby willbecome overtired,“wired up,” and unable to sleep.Babies can learn how to fall asleep without help by spending daily quiettime in their own bed. It helps when they are encouraged to fall asleep fornaps in various places and ways.Babies benefit from sleep cues: special music or words, routines that theycan count on.Babies benefit when their parents and caregivers recognize their cues—such as making sleeping sounds (grunts to whimpers to cries), fussing,yawning, quieting down, losing interest in toys, or looking “glazed.”It helps babies learn the difference between nighttime sleeping and napswhen they take daily naps near the noises of the day in a lit room, andnight sleep is dark and quiet. They understand that night sleep is comingwhen they have a bath and a change into pajamas.If you want to make some changes in getting baby to sleep, remember thatit is a process that will take energy, commitment, and a week or more ofadjustment to settle in to a new bedtime.While time and space does not allow for a fullexploration of babies and sleep, I suggest ElizabethPantley’s book The No-Cry Sleep Solution:Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Throughthe Night, McGraw-Hill/ContemporaryPublishing, 2002.10 • Lake Union Herald, July 2003Photo by Photodisc.
Ways to develop regularity in your life:1. Develop regular hours for Bible study, eating,and work.2. Develop a habit of retiring to bed at a fixedtime every night.3. Have a regular schedule for physical activityeach day.Body Clocks and RhythmsBY WINSTON CRAIGMany of our bodily functions occur with amazingregularity. The heart beats about once per second.Intestinal contractions occur approximatelyevery three minutes. The menstrual cycle is once permonth. We breathe, on average, once every four heartbeats. We blink every two to three seconds. Sleep patternsfollow a 90-minute cycle. The electrical waves ofour brain show a regular pattern of eight to 12 cyclesper second.4. As far as possible, avoid delays and minimizeinterruptions to your normal routine.5. Celebrate the Sabbath with family and friendseach week.The human body is also influenced by dailyrhythms. Body temperature,blood pressure, andmany hormones, suchas cortisol, all fluctuateon a regular dailycycle. Experiencing jetlag after airplane travelacross several timezones illustrates theimportance of keepingin sync with normaldaily rhythms. Whenwe are out of syncwith the normal bodyrhythms, we mayexperience discomfort,irritability, sleep disturbances,headaches,constipation, upsetstomachs, decreasedreaction time, a lack ofconcentration, decreasedmotivation, or mild memoryloss. Irregular schedules have an effect on our bodiesand minds similar to that of jet lag.Even the small adjustment for daylight savings canhave a significant physiological effect. During theweek after we turn our clocks forward or backwardsby one hour, it is observed that sleep may be disturbed,absenteeism increases in schools and businesses,and auto accidents increase.We are rhythmic creatures. Our bodies runin cyclical patterns. Therefore, wewould do well to have regularhours for the importantthings in life—sleep, work, eating,physical activity,prayer, and Biblestudy. This isessential to maintainoptimal health.Habits of regularityare associated withimproved health andmemory, and a better disposition(Ellen G. White, ChildGuidance, p. 112).Winston J. Craig, Ph.D., R.D.,Andrews University professorof nutritionVisit our web site at luc.adventist.org Lake Union Herald, July 2003 • 11
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July 2003 - Adventist.org - Lake Union Conference

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