Sleep conditions can leave us feeling grumpy and defeated. Let’s be honest about it upfront – children will reduce your sleep hours.
“In the USA, studies show that in the 1st year of life, they will reduce your pre-baby sleep with an average of 500 hours”
Be prepared and accept help and in all ways when you can. Sleep is one of life’s great mysteries from day one until the end. In early life, 12-14 hours of the day is spent sleeping. This is interrupted by eating, drinking, pooing and cooing. In the 1st 4-6 months, babies are noisy sleepers as they have NON-paralytic REM sleep. So every 45 minutes or so they will shout, grunt, lip smack, cycle (like on a bike). Co-sleeping can work for some but not for everyone. Sleep regression often occurs around the time when REM sleep becomes paralytic.
Some gems about sleep conditions:
- Iron deficiency is a common cause of poor sleep.
- A tight foreskin and labial fusion can cause hourly waking (get it checked).
- Melatonin is a useful sleep initiator in certain cases.
- Pinworm (yes a worm!) can cause waking from a very itchy bum at night.
- A full tummy, but not a full bum helps is all sleep well.
Sleep requires:
- Comfort
- Nutrition
- Empty colon
- Adequate iron levels
POOR SLEEP NEEDS ASSESSMENT TO EXCLUDE:
- Iron deficiency
- Labial Fusion (Girls)
- Tight foreskin (Boys)
For proper sleep we check for:
- Healthy ears
- No snoring
- No worms (pinworm)
- No constipation
- No neurological disorder (ADHD)
Sleep is both an intrinsic ability, but can also be learned. Exclude pathology, maximise nutrition and seek help if disrupting life and family.
