Sleep Duration: Night and Day
If you don’t sleep long enough, you feel tired. This sounds very simple and obvious, but how much sleep is enough? And how can you tell if your child is getting enough sleep?
Under three or four months of age, infants’ sleep patterns seem mostly to reflect the development of the child’s brain. During these first few weeks, in fact, sleep
durations equal sleep needs, since infant behavior and sleep durations are mostly influenced by biological factors. But after about three or four months, and perhaps even at about six weeks (or six weeks after the due date, for babies born early), parenting practices can influence sleep duration and, consequently, behavior. As I will discuss later in more detail, I believe parents can promote more charming, calm, alert behaviors by becoming more sensitive to their growing child’s need to sleep and by helping to maintain healthy sleep habits. The goal is to recognize and respect your child’s need to sleep and not do things that interfere with the natural sleep process.
IMPORTANT POINT
The Internal Timing System is under genetic control so there is individual variation. It takes time for the Internal Timing System to express itself.
Tags: biological factors, child's brain, development of the child's brain, healthy sleep, healthy sleep habits, Internal Timing System, natural sleep, sleep durations, sleep patterns
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