Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child and Mom and Dad

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Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child(and Mom and
Dad!)

• There never was a
• Child so lovely but his
• Mother was glad to see
• him asleep.
• - R.W. Emerson

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Learning Objectives

• How much sleep does a body need?
• Sleep quantity/quality affects overall well-being
• Identify and intervene on common unhealthy
  patterns
• When to worry

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Figure 1Normal 24-hour sleep duration
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Figure 2Daytime Sleep Time
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Sleep Patterns age 0-4 months

• What pattern?
• Ultradian and diurnal rhythms actually do exist,
  we just cant tell from a why wont this child
  sleep perspective
• Patterns can emerge as early as about 8 weeks
• Important not to force things before 4 months if
  its not promising

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Sleep Patterns 4 months to 12 months

• By 4 months, should be able to schedule sleep and
  wake periods
• Usually, 2 to 3 naps (AM, afternoon, maybe early
  evening)
• 13-14 lbs 8 hrs consolidated sleep
• Little ones dont stay awake too long at a stretch

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Sleep Patterns 12 to 36 months

• Down to just one nap
• More variations in onset of sleep and awake
  periods
• Nighttime sleep becomes more challenging

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Sleep Patterns 3 to 6 years

• Regular naps completely eliminated by age 6
• Some children still need regular naps but have
  stopped napping (a problem)

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Sleep Patterns 7 years to puberty

• Continued need for consistent sleep patterns and
  a lot of sleep
• 9.5-10 hours per night for optimal alertness

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Sleep Patterns Adolescence

• Sleep duration has shortened over the generations
  
• Sleep problems occur/recur
• Social pressures
• Medical problems

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Bad sleep is bad for you

• Worse school performance
• What about ADD?
• Depressive symptoms
• Predilection for later obesity
• Poor parental mood and health

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What sleep should be up to 12 m.

• Babies dont stay awake for much more than 2
  hours at a time.
• Sleep environment darkish, quiet, scheduled
• Parents should be prepared to subjugate their
  schedules to their childs if they want good sleep

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What sleep should be to 4/5 years

• Regular, single nap
• Regular bedtime with predictable pre-bedtime
  routine
• Sleep duration 10 hours duration!

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School age sleep

• It still should have a consistent bedtime
• Pre-adolescents still need 9 hours of sleep
• Adolescents need their 8 hours

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Trouble in Paradise Infancy

• Wont go to sleep
• Routine, observance of schedule
• Waking after bedtime
• Extinction crying it out is OK (really!)
• Naptime
• Routine, observance of schedule

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Trouble in Paradise Pre-school

• Wont go to sleep
• Schedule, routine, parental self-discipline
• Curtain calls
• Behavior training, parental self-discipline
• Naps
• Schedule

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Trouble in Paradise School Age

• Same old stuff
• Social pressures/delayed sleep cycle
• Medical problems

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Medical problems to consider

• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Parasomnias
• Psychiatric problems
• Musculoskeletal disorders
• Enuresis

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QUESTIONS?