Sleep

Sleep is a time for the body and mind to get rest. The sleep cycle has two basic states of sleep: active or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and quiet or NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep. Dreaming takes place in active sleep, deep sleep takes place during the quiet state. These two states alternate within sleep cycles that occur throughout a night of sleep. A good night's sleep, or an adequate amount of uninterrupted sleep, is vital to good health. "Sleeping through the night" usually means that children sleep in their beds without calling to a parent during the night; they may actually wake up for brief waking periods between sleep cycles, but can get themselves back to sleep independently.

REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

• Most growth occurs during sleep. Children learn best, feel best, and are the least accident-prone when they are well rested.

• Children have shorter cycles of active and deep sleep than adults, so they have more brief waking periods.

• Typically children and adults wake briefly several times a night as they move between active sleep and deep sleep. Children wake more than adults. Usually, they fall back to sleep without remembering waking up if conditions (pillows, sound, security objects, light, etc.) are the same as when they fell asleep. These conditions are called sleep associations.

• Developing sleep associations is a task that all children need to do at some point to develop healthy sleep patterns for life.

• A fairly regular schedule of waking time, mealtimes, nap time, and bedtime helps to set children's internal body rhythms, one of which is sleep. If the daily schedule varies too much from day to day, sleep patterns will suffer.

• Daytime events may interfere with sound sleep: vacations, changing the clock seasonally, a new baby in the house, or moving.

• Physical conditions and illness may interfere with sleep: colds, allergies, fever, ear infections, intestinal pains, teething, enlarged adenoids and more.

• Half of all children under six will experience some kind of sleep difficulty.

• Children who do not get enough sleep may be difficult to awaken in the morning, frequently irritable, easily frustrated, or may fall asleep during playtime or dinner.

• The physical need for amounts of nighttime sleep and daytime naps changes for children as they grow. Individual needs for sleep will vary, but there are common patterns:
--Children may give up naps as early as two years of age. Still, they will need a rest period in the afternoon for approximately one hour to read or play quietly.

• Normal developmental tasks will affect sleep:
-- Separation issues peak typically at twelve months, and reoccur periodically after that. Children may not want parents to leave the room at bedtime or naptime.
-- Power struggles are common from eighteen months on, as children express their independence. Children may resist going to sleep or bed.
-- Nightmares and fears of the dark, imaginary monsters, and other real things are especially strong for children between the ages of two and six. Children may need extra reassurance at bedtime or during the night.
-- Children may show an occasional preference for comfort from one parent over another. Bedtime routines may be more difficult for the other parent during those times.
-- Children are going through so many developmental changes from one to five years of age that they actually may practice new challenges in their sleep. Children may wake more frequently in the night during times of developmental leaps.
-- Children are excited about life, so they may have a hard time making the transition from fun-filled days to quiet naps or bedtime.

• Healthy sleep habits are learned skills. When parents value healthy sleep and teach good habits, children are likely to continue those habits into their adult life.

Excerpted with permission from THE FIELD GUIDE TO PARENTING;. Copyright © 2000 Chandler House Press. All rights reserved.