Sleep Medicine Training
If your child has problems sleeping, you know how difficult this predicament can be on not just your child, but on your entire family. Fortunately, several behavioral sleep medicine techniques that parents can use at home with their children can help to alleviate the situation. Experimenting with these techniques will allow you to discover what works for your child.
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Significance
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Behavioral sleep medicine techniques can be valuable tools to help your baby to learn how to sleep through the night. Not all babies have trouble sleeping, but many others have problems with both falling asleep and going back to sleep after waking in the middle of the night. These children need help and guidance in learning how to sleep, and behavioral sleep medicine techniques, such as those from Dr. Marc Weissbluth, author of "Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child" have proven to be successful.
Types
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The American Academy of Sleep Medicine reviewed five different types of behavioral sleep medicine, and found that "all the methods work, provided parents follow one simple rule--consistency." The first type is the full "cry it out" method, in which you let your baby cry until he falls asleep without comforting him. The second type, the modified "cry it out" method, lets you comfort your baby at regular intervals while he is crying. The third type is soothing bedtime routines that allow your child to wind down and expect bedtime. The fourth type, parent education, requires you to learn about how an infant sleeps and how you help to develop healthy sleep habits in your baby. The last type is scheduled awakenings, which concerns you waking your baby up before he would naturally wake and eventually spreading and phasing out these awakenings.
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Benefits
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The study conducted by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine explained that every infant who went through each method of behavioral sleep medicine became more predictable in their sleep patterns. These babies' cries also lessened, as well as their amount of general fussiness. Jodi Mindell, the associate director of the Sleep Center at the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia and lead analyst of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's study, says, "We're fairly certain that sleep training doesn't have any long-term negative effects. If you love your child and are a responsive parent and then let your child cry three nights in a row to teach her how to sleep, that's fine."
Considerations
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When you are deciding which behavioral sleep medicine technique to use with your child, several aspects should be taken under consideration. You should think of your child's temperament. As Dr. Marc Weissbluth says, "If you can match a sleep-training approach with your child's temperament, you'll have more success and see quicker results. If your child is adaptable and resilient, the "cry it out" methods may work with him. However, if your child is sensitive to stressful situations, you may want to try another technique, such as the soothing bedtime routines. Other things you should consider are your own temperament and your household.
Suggestions
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One of the most common suggestions given by sleep experts is to give the technique time to work, usually a week or two. Dr. Weissbluth also suggests parents combine and tweak techniques to make their own, saying, "There's no one solution that fits all kids. If you analyze your child and reflect upon what may be causing the sleep problems in the first place, it's easier to come up with a method that'll work." Being consistent is also key to making a technique work because children do well with routines. Your child will feel secure knowing what to expect.
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References
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- Photo Credit pretty young child sleeping image by les sanders from Fotolia.com
