The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Newborns
While newborns are yet to develop a Circadian rhythm (sleep-wake cycle), they still require a good amount of sleep in order to promote healthy mental and physical growth. Generally newborns tend to sleep around 8-9 hours during the day and about 8 hours at night, however, they usually won’t sleep for longer than 1-2 hours in one go because their hunger wakes them up. It’s important to monitor your newborn’s sleep patterns to ensure they’re getting enough sleep to avoid sleep deprivation – here’s why…
Sleep promotes growth
It’s a well-known fact that we need sleep in order to give our body a rest from our day to day lives. It needs time to recuperate and to reset to get ready for what lies ahead. Newborns are no different. Although their sleep is broken and only lasts an hour or two at any given time, it still allows their bodies time to rest, recover and put energy into helping their physical development.
Sleep promotes healthy mental function
How do you feel after a night of little to no sleep? Horrible, right? Your brain feels fuzzy and you struggle to think straight? This is because when we sleep, our brain goes through a series of functions that, like the rest of our body, helps it recover and promotes healthy development.
Sleep can impact your baby’s future
By promoting a healthy sleeping pattern within your newborn as early as possible, you will be setting them up to sleep sweetly and deeply through the night for years to come. The routines and schedules you help your children follow through their early years may very well help them avoid problems with “attention, emotional control, and peer relationships in mid-childhood, according to a new study led by a Harvard.”
So, it’s not just adults who struggle when they don’t get enough sleep – our babies need to avoid sleep deprivation too! If you, a friend, a family member or someone else you care about is having a little trouble getting their little ones to sleep soundly, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Sleep sweet and deep, my dears!