Posts Tagged ‘sleep problems’
How Menopause Affects Sleep
This article is from the WebMD Feature Archive
How Menopause Affects Sleep
A new area of research in sleep medicine focuses on women’s health and how menopause affects sleep. Menopause, regardless of age, is associated with poor sleep quality. These sleep problems are thought to be associated with hormonal function and also with psychological factors.
One study shows shows an association of hot flashes with a shorter amount of time sleeping and a higher incidence of arousals from sleep. Hot flashes that occur during sleep have the ability to affect the quality of sleep adversely by bringing women from a deeper, more restful stage of sleep to a lighter, less restful and restorative stage.
Trouble sleeping? Maybe it’s your iPad
(CNN) — J.D. Moyer decided recently to conduct a little experiment with artificial light and his sleep cycle.
The sleep-deprived Oakland, California, resident had read that strong light — whether it’s beaming down from the sun or up from the screens of personal electronics — can reset a person’s internal sleep clock.
So, for one month, whenever the sun set, he turned off all the gadgets and lights in his house — from the bulb hidden in his refrigerator to his laptop computer.
Baby Sleep Schedules
Does your child sleep like a baby?
If so, that may be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your idea of what a baby’s sleep schedule should be like.
When you think about a sleeping baby, do you picture a baby sleeping through the night, or a baby that sleeps for just four or five hours and is up crying and wanting to eat?
Baby Sleep and Breastfeeding Series: Part 1
Breastfeeding moms are very loving and caring moms! And, so are formula feeding moms! Although I breastfed both my boys for their first year, I am not a breastfeeding nazi, so I welcome all to my Baby Sleep and Breastfeeding Series! This series is going to discuss baby sleep and how it relates to breastfeeding, and not discuss anything to do with whether breastfeeding or bottle feeding or formula feeding is better, worse or indifferent. I try to keep this a judgment-free place and the way you feed your baby is a very personal choice and sometimes not a choice at all, for some. The goal of this series will tackle things like how breastfeeding relates to sleep, whether you need to co-sleep to succeed, how often you can expect to feed your baby at night, how your diet may affect sleep, and what methods of sleep training are open to you. So, let’s get started!
Does breastfeeding cause sleep problems? Should you wean?
I gave away this answer in my first paragraph that you CAN have a baby who sleeps and breastfeed, successfully. I did it for 12-13 months with both boys and successfully improved their sleep in the process. I did give them one night-feeding with both boys until they were one year, but many breastfeeding moms can night-wean before that. My boys were just slow to be able to go 12 hours without a feeding, even though I did try…at least with the first. I sort of just accepted it with the second having already gone through it once before.
My story might not be enough to convince you, though, so I will also tell you that I get a lot parents who have to give a bottle numerous times a night or replace a pacifier upwards of 10 times a night, too. I do NOT just get breastfeeding moms to this site and although my mother-in-law may have THOUGHT my son’s sleep problems were due to my breastfeeding (she thought he was just hungry every night), it wasn’t. He proved her wrong eventually when he was eating solids and we still had problems.
Putting Baby To Sleep
If you have a newborn baby or are expecting one, it is important that you use the correct methods to ensure that after a minimal amount of time your baby is getting a good night’s sleep. A good night’s sleep is essential for the physical and mental well-being of a baby, and also makes life easier for parents. By using the correct procedure you will help prevent sleep problems for the baby later in life.
The crucial factor in preventing sleep problems in babies is to encourage the baby to learn for itself how to fall asleep correctly. This does not mean that you should put the baby to bed and just forget about him or her though. Rather, by helping the baby to learn through association, he or she will form good sleeping habits.
First, the baby must become aware of the fact that the crib is associated with a long sleep through the night. So you must place the newborn in it awake, and allow him/her to fall asleep once in there. This helps the baby to link the crib with a long night’s sleep. If you place the infant in bed asleep, he or she will awake and immediately expect the parent(s) to be there. Also the baby will be confused as the surroundings will be different from the last instance of consciousness.
Healthy Sleep Tips | National Sleep Foundation
The following ten tips can help you achieve sleep and the benefits it provides. These tips are intended for “typical” adults, but not necessarily for children or persons experiencing medical problems.
Finally, if you have trouble falling asleep, maintaining sleep, awaken earlier than you wish, feel unrefreshed after sleep or suffer from excessive sleepiness during the day or when you wish to be alert, you should also consult your physician. Be sure to tell him/her if you have already tried these tips and for how long. To check for possible sleep problems, go to our checklist, “How’s Your Sleep?”
1. Maintain a regular bed and wake time schedule including weekends.
Read the rest of this entry »
Sleep and Your 4- to 7-Month
Encouraging Sleep
You have probably already established a bedtime routine and are staying with it. If you haven’t established one, start now. Soothing activities that lead up to “night-night” time can help relax your baby. A warm bath followed by stories or singing will signal transition to sleep, and these same activities can be used at bedtime for years.
You’ll probably want your baby to start falling asleep on his or her own. This may mean performing your nighttime routine and putting the baby into the crib while he or she is still awake. If the baby cries, stay away for a few minutes. Your baby may settle down and go to sleep. If the crying continues, go back in and soothe the baby for a moment, without picking him or her up. This may go on a few times until your baby figures out that the crying is not getting anywhere. Expect that this may be a difficult exercise for you, simply because it’s distressing to hear your baby cry. Try to remember that if you know your baby is safe, a little crying now so that you can all sleep better later is ultimately the healthier choice.
Maintaining Proper Sleep Hygiene
by Richard O’Boyle, PublisherMore about Richard…
Getting a good night’s sleep is not only satisfying and invigorating, but also the foundation for a healthy and productive day. Yet up to a third of older individuals report difficulty maintaining sleep on a recurring basis and more than half report occasional problems with their sleep. Identifying and correcting poor sleeping habits can help older adults to improve their well-being and quality of life.
It is generally believed that older people require the same amount of sleep as younger adults – seven to nine hours each night. But they then to become lighter sleepers and may wake three or four times throughout the course of the night. They may have to go the bathroom frequently or find their sleep disturbed by the discomfort of a chronic illness. Some of these disturbances may be correctable with lifestyle and nutrition changes, but others may be symptoms of more serious medical conditions.
Why is my toddler suddenly waking up hysterical at night?
It’s very common for even the best of sleepers to suddenly start having sleep problems, whether that means having a hard time falling asleep at bedtime or abruptly waking up during the night. Your toddler may be having night terrors, which are similar to sleepwalking but are more dramatic. Night terrors are often related to being sleep-deprived.
When your child “wakes up” with a night terror, go in and check on him but don’t speak to him or try to soothe him. Your child will resist being comforted and will appear confused and disoriented. Trying to soothe your child will only extend and intensify the sleep terror — even saying his name can make him more upset. Likewise, don’t try to vigorously awaken him. He may think you are attacking him. Instead, just let the night terror run its course, and stand nearby to make sure your toddler doesn’t hurt himself.
Sleep Study Types for Sleep Apnea, Insomnia, and More
Sleep studies are tests that watch what happens to your body during sleep. The studies are done to find out what is causing your sleep problems. Sleep problems include:
- Sleep apnea, when an adult regularly stops breathing during sleep for 10 seconds or longer. This may be caused by blocked airflow during sleep, such as from narrowed airways. Or it may be caused by a problem with how the brain signals the breathing muscles to work.
- Problems staying awake, such as narcolepsy.
- Problems with nighttime behaviors, such as sleepwalking, night terrors, or bed-wetting.
- Problems sleeping at night (insomnia). This may be caused by stress, depression, hunger, physical discomfort, or other problem.
- Problems sleeping during the day because you work at night or do rotating shift work. This sleep problem is called shift work sleep disorder.
- Conditions such as periodic limb movement disorder, which is repeated muscle twitching of the feet, arms, or legs during sleep.
Sleep studies can also determine whether you have a problem with your stages of sleep. The two stages of sleep are non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM). Normally, NREM and REM alternate 4 to 5 times during a night’s sleep. A change in this cycle may make it hard for you to sleep soundly.