Marc Weissbluth's Blog, page 5
March 5, 2012
Sleep & Breast-Feeding #2
Here is what I tell parents after there is ample breast milk:
If a baby is hungry, she sucks, fills up her mouth, and swallows. The rhythm is suck, swallow, suck, swallow, suck, swallow…
As long as your baby has a robust suck-swallow pattern, feed your baby. When your baby really slows down or shows less interest in nursing, then stop feeding.
If a baby is fussy, there is more sucking for every swallow: suck, suck, suck, swallow, suck, suck, suck, suck, suck, swallow…
Because sucking is soothing, your baby may suck at the breast and be fussy but not hungry. Using the breast as a "pacifier" is to be avoided because it is tiring for the mother (a more tired mother might have more difficulty lactating). And excessive nursing might cause the skin to become cracked or irritated and might interfere with her baby learning self-soothing. However, in the evening at the 6 week peak of fussiness for all babies and anytime for colicky babies, maybe this is the only way for baby and mother to have some calmness and/or sleep.
Here are two questions:
How reliable is the suck/swallow pattern able to distinguish between hunger and fussiness?
How do you feel about my advice to use breast "feeding" to soothe fussiness as a method of last resort?
Marc
Filed under: Uncategorized
March 1, 2012
Sleep and Breast Feeding
I know that breast-feeding can be challenging with specific items such as twins, a premature baby, following a C-section, and other issues but even without these specific challenges, breast-feeding does not always go smoothly.
But I am curious what your experiences are among those, or your friends, who successfully breast-fed or who are currently comfortably breast-feeding: Is there any association between mothers who choose and succeed in breast-feeding and sleep? A variation of this question is whether exclusive (no formula) is associated with sleep?
Marc
Filed under: Uncategorized
February 26, 2012
Sleep Smarts #4
1. The single most important fact to remember is that the time when sleep occurs is more important than the duration of the sleep period. You can't fight circadian rhythms! We all have internal clocks that are genetically controlled. These clocks create an internal timing mechanism for sleep. These clocks evolved from dark (night)/light (day) cues. This signal is very primitive because it is based on the rotation of the earth on its axis. Sleeping in synch with circadian rhythms is more restorative, of better quality, than sleeping out of synch with circadian rhythms. Jet-lag syndrome is an example of sleep not in synch with circadian rhythms.
Additionally, a bout of sleep that is continuous (consolidated) is much more restorative than a bout of sleep that in interrupted (fragmented).
2. The Myth of Total Sleep Duration
Some parents observe that their child is getting 12 hours of sleep (e.g. 9pm to 7am plus a 2 hour nap) and therefore they think that there is no problem. Sleep duration is probably less important than sleep quality (intensity, consolidated, and in phase with circadian rhythms).
3. When the Bedtime is Too Late
What occurs when children are allowed to fall asleep too late at night? They wake up short of sleep in the morning. When you are short on sleep, then, even without caffeine, you get "keyed up" because your body produces stimulating chemicals such as cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline. Then, if you suddenly go on vacation, it takes you a few days to "unwind" or dissipate the effects of the stimulating chemicals. This burst of energy is a primitive biological adaptive response so that early man could fight harder, hunt longer, or flee faster for survival. It's like a turbo boost that we often call a "second wind". When present, you are in a state of higher neurological arousal. When the bedtime is too late, he wakes up in the morning in a state of higher neurological arousal which causes him to have difficulty or inability to nap well.
The consequences of not napping well means that by the end of the day his sleep tank is empty and he is in an even higher state of arousal so it becomes more difficult for him to easily fall asleep and stay asleep at night. Parents might not see bedtime battles, long latency to sleep, or night waking resulting from a bedtime that is too late. But of course, he eventually crashes late at night. But this is preceded by an unhealthy state for the child, stressful interactions with him, and stressful interactions as a couple, and stress for each parent as an individual.
Sometimes the naps are very long and late (e.g. 1-4pm) because the bedtime is too late and the child's sleep deprivation is masked by parents returning home from work and playing with the child.
4. Healthy Sleep is Like Healthy Food
Consider the similarities between food and sleep. Let's first think about food and food quality. Food is a biological need. Food is energy for the body. Poor quality food –junk food – damages the body by causing all manner of medical issues including malnutrition, anemia, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. A little junk food is O.K., a lot is not.
Now let's think about sleep and sleep quality. Quality sleep means consolidated sleep occurring in phase with circadian rhythms. Sleep is also a biological need. Sleep is energy for the brain; poor quality sleep harms the brain. Think of poor quality sleep as junk sleep. Junk sleep is just as bad for our children as junk food. Just as you read labels on food to determine quality, think of sleep quality for your child. You would not starve your child by withholding food; try to not let your child get short on sleep.
Junk sleep causes many problems. All of these points are based on peer-reviewed published research. These are not my opinions.
• Exhaustion, and we all know what that feels like!
• Impaired mood. Children become more irritable, angry, and easily upset; later on, junk sleep can cause or exacerbate depression and marijuana use in adolescents. Less able to regulate emotions.
• Impaired social and academic performance. Kids who are lacking sleep will be more hyperactive, oppositional, and aggressive. Less able to accurately recognize human emotional expressions
• Impaired cognitive development. Sleep incorporates learning into permanent memory, sleep causes memory consolidation, sleep enhances organizational skills, planning, multi-tasking, and executive functioning.
• Impaired personality. Children become fussy, more intense, more frightened, and less adaptable.
• Impaired hand-eye coordination (which impacts a whole host of functions like athletic performance and fine motor skills).
• Systemic inflammation, increased blood pressure, increased stress hormones, increased susceptibility to infections.
•Impaired glucose control which is a factor in diabetes, obesity.
•Maternal depression.
Filed under: Healthy Sleep
February 22, 2012
Sleep Consult to be Made into an Audoobook!
We have good news:
Sleep Consult will soon be available as an Audiobook- it will take about 2-3 months to complete and our blog subscribers will be the first to know.
-Daniel and Marc Weissbluth
Filed under: Announcement
February 12, 2012
Sleep Smarts #3
1. The single most important fact to remember is that the time when sleep occurs is more important than the duration of the sleep period. You can't fight circadian rhythms! We all have internal clocks that are genetically controlled. These clocks create an internal timing mechanism for sleep. These clocks evolved from dark (night)/light (day) cues. This signal is very primitive because it is based on the rotation of the earth on its axis. Sleeping in synch with circadian rhythms is more restorative, of better quality, than sleeping out of synch with circadian rhythms. Jet-lag syndrome is an example of sleep not in synch with circadian rhythms.
Additionally, a bout of sleep that is continuous (consolidated) is much more restorative than a bout of sleep that in interrupted (fragmented).
2. The Myth of Total Sleep Duration
Some parents observe that their child is getting 12 hours of sleep (e.g. 9pm to 7am plus a 2 hour nap) and therefore they think that there is no problem. Sleep duration is probably less important than sleep quality (intensity, consolidated, and in phase with circadian rhythms).
3. When the Bedtime is Too Late
What occurs when children are allowed to fall asleep too late at night? They wake up short of sleep in the morning. When you are short on sleep, then, even without caffeine, you get "keyed up" because your body produces stimulating chemicals such as cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline. Then, if you suddenly go on vacation, it takes you a few days to "unwind" or dissipate the effects of the stimulating chemicals. This burst of energy is a primitive biological adaptive response so that early man could fight harder, hunt longer, or flee faster for survival. It's like a turbo boost that we often call a "second wind." When present, you are in a state of higher neurological arousal. When the bedtime is too late, he wakes up in the morning in a state of higher neurological arousal which causes him to have difficulty or inability to nap well.
The consequences of not napping well means that by the end of the day his sleep tank is empty and he is in an even higher state of arousal so it becomes more difficult for him to easily fall asleep and stay asleep at night. Parents might not see bedtime battles, long latency to sleep, or night waking as a result from a bedtime that is too late. But of course, he eventually crashes late at night. But this is preceded by an unhealthy state for the child, stressful interactions with him, and stressful interactions as a couple, and stress for each parent as an individual.
Sometimes the naps are very long and late (e.g. 1-4pm) because the bedtime is too late or the child's sleep deprivation is masked by parents returning home from work and playing with the child.
Filed under: Healthy Sleep
February 11, 2012
Sleep Consult is now available for Nook
Nook
While everyone in Chicago is waiting for their El Bulli tickets email from Next Restaurant, here is the link for Sleep Consult eBook for Nook!
Enjoy!
Dan and Marc
Filed under: Announcement
February 5, 2012
Speculation
In the Wall Street Journal (February 4-5, 2012) there wa an article called Why French Parents are Superior. "One of the keys (of parenting practices) is the simple act of learning how to wait. It is why the French babies I meet mostly sleep through the night from two to three months old. Their parents don't pick them up the second they start crying, allowing the babies to learn how to fall back asleep." The author describes Walter Mischel's famous marshmallow research that points to the ability for self-control or delaying gratification as an important ingredient for success later in life.
My speculation is, independent of French or any other country's parenting culture, children who are well rested are directly more likely to have better impulse-control (fewer tantrums), be better able to delay gratification, and be more patient. When we are sleep-deprived, little things bother us more. We are in a state of heightened sensitivity. It's like having a bad sunburn; a light touch on the skin then really hurts. Furthermore, these well-rested children are more likely to have well rested parents who have more capability to go with the flow, calmly teach their values, and are less likely fly off the handle. So also indirectly, the children benefit.
What are your thoughts?
Marc
Filed under: Uncategorized
February 1, 2012
"Sleep Consult" Now Available on iPhones and iPads
now available on iPad/iPhone
Although the cover on the bookstore is a little smooshed, Sleep Consult is now available for all Apple devices. Starting with your child's age, this walkthrough will not only help a parent create healthy sleep habits but also fix any potential sleep problems. To view on an iPad or iPhone, the user must have downloaded the free App iBooks first.
Enjoy!
-Dan and Marc Weissbluth
Filed under: Announcement
January 31, 2012
Thank you for supporting our book!
Enjoy! -Marc and Dan
We just wanted to thank our loyal readers for making "Sleep Consult" a top 100 parenting book and a top 40 Child Care Book on Amazon. If you like the book, please tell your friends and leave us a positive review. The Apple and Nook versions will be out shortly.
Have a great day!
Marc and Dan Weissbluth
Filed under: Announcement
January 30, 2012
Sleep Smarts #2
1. The single most important fact to remember is that the time when sleep occurs is more important than the duration of the sleep period. You can't fight circadian rhythms! We all have internal clocks that are genetically controlled. These clocks create an internal timing mechanism for sleep. These clocks evolved from dark (night)/light (day) cues. This signal is very primitive because it is based on the rotation of the earth on its axis. Sleeping in synch with circadian rhythms is more restorative, of better quality, than sleeping out of synch with circadian rhythms. Jet-lag syndrome is an example of sleep not in synch with circadian rhythms.
Additionally, a bout of sleep that is continuous (consolidated) is much more restorative than a bout of sleep that in interrupted (fragmented).
2. The Myth of Total Sleep Duration
Some parents observe that their child is getting 12 hours of sleep (e.g. 9pm to 7am plus a 2 hour nap) and therefore they think that there is no problem. Sleep duration is probably less important than sleep quality (intensity, consolidated, and in phase with circadian rhythms).
Filed under: Healthy Sleep
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