Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler :: the blog

The Stuff of Which Momsomnia (and Nightmares) Are Made

Finding it difficult to figure out what to do about your child's sleep problems? Your own sleep deprivation could be making it tougher for you to deal with the problem effectively. A study reported in the March 1 issue of the scientific journal Sleep found that the more sleep-deprived you are, the more difficult it is to make morally complex decisions -- like whether to live with your child's sleep problems for a little while longer before embarking on any sort of formal sleep training program, to go with sleep training option A (the one that feels right to you), or to go with sleep training option B (the one that your partner and your best friend are rooting for).

Sleep Study: Getting the Facts on Sleep (Yours and Baby's) Can Help You to Be a Better Rested New Mom

Research conducted at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children has shown that getting the facts on babies and sleep can help you to be a better-rested new parent.

Women involved in the treatment group in the study -- which was reported in the Dec. 1 issue of the medical journal Sleep -- were provided with information on the following topics: "maternal sleep hygiene; strategies for increasing maternal sleep; maternal relaxation techniques, such as progressive muscle relaxation and deep breathing; acknowledgment of the challenges of parenting and sleep deprivation; and information on infant sleep structure, cues, sleep promotion, and self-soothing." more

Related:
Baby Sleep Solutions: Help for Tired Parents: Baby and Toddler Sleep Research Updates, Advice, Links
Sleep Articles
Baby Sleep Links: A Quick Guide to Finding the Best Sleep Info Online
Baby Sleep Questions

Sleep Stats

Poll Shows More Than Half of Canadian Parents Struggle to Get Baby to Sleep
A 2004 sleep study conducted by J & J baby products found that over half of Canadian parents have trouble getting their little babies to nod off at bedtime.

Women and Sleep

The cover story in the current issue of Newsweek focuses on women and sleep -- specifically why women aren't getting nearly enough sleep, and why that is depriving us of the quality of life we might otherwise enjoy. (Sleep deprivation not only zaps you of energy, makes you more irritable, and drain you of your enjoyment of life: it ups your odds of developing serious health conditions like heart disease and clinical depression.)

Not surprisingly, the story points out that pregnant women are vulnerable to sleep deprivation, due to hormonal changes, pregnancy discomforts, and sleep-related conditions like restless legs syndrome (RLS) that are more likely to occur during pregnancy. Research has demonstrated a link between restless legs syndrome and iron-deficiency (a common problem during pregnancy) -- something which may explain why some moms-to-be experience the creepy-crawly, spiders crawling up my legs feelings associated with restless legs syndrome (RLS).


The article didn't extend into "sleep deprived parent turf" (a subject I focus on in the parent chapters of Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler: The Ultimate No-Worry Approach for Each Age and Stage, but there are lots of great hints on practicing "good sleep hygiene"-- including a reminder not to overdo it with the Starbucks!


You'll also find links to two sleep podcasts to download and listen to at your leisure.

Snoring: It's All in the Family

A brand new study reports that snoring tends to run in the family. Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati evaluated 681 children (median age 12.6 months) and found that infants who snored on a regular basis were three times as likely to have a parent who snored on a regular basis. The results of the study are reported in this month's issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.