Why Short Cat-Naps Are Not Good Enough
By Elizabeth Pantley, Author of The No-Cry Nap Solution
If your
childÕs naps are shorter than an hour and a half in length, you may have
wondered if these brief naps provide enough rest for your little one. You might
suspect that these catnaps arenÕt meeting your childÕs sleep needs Ð and
you would be right. The science of sleep explains why a short nap takes the
edge off, but doesnÕt offer the same physical and mental nourishment that a
longer nap provides.
It takes
between 90 and 120 minutes for your child to move through one entire sleep
cycle, resulting in a Perfect Nap. It has been discovered that each stage of
sleep brings a different benefit to the sleeper. Imagine, if you will, magic
gifts that are awarded at each new stage of sleep:
Stage
1 - Very light sleep
Lasts 5
to 15 minutes
The
gifts:
Prepares
body for sleep
Reduces
feelings of sleepiness
Stage
2 - Light to
moderate sleep
Lasts up
15 minutes
The
gifts:
Increases
alertness
Improves
motor skills
Stabilizes
mood
Slightly
reduces homeostatic sleep pressure
Stage
3 - Deep sleep
Lasts up
to 15 minutes
The
gifts:
Strengthens
memory
Release
of growth hormone
Repair
of bones, tissues and muscles
Fortification
of immune system
Regulates
appetite
Releases
bottled up stress
Restores
energy
Reduces
homeostatic sleep pressure
Stage
4 Ð Deepest sleep
Lasts up
to 15 minutes
The
gifts:
Same
benefits as Stage 3, but enhanced
Next
Stage Ð Dreaming
Lasts up
to 9 to 30 minutes
The
gifts:
Transfers
short-term memory into long-term memory
Organizes
thoughts
Secures
new learning
Enhances
brain connections
Sharpens
visual and perceptual skills
Processes
emotions
Relieves
stress
Inspires
creativity
Boosts
energy
Reduces
homeostatic sleep pressure (The biological process that creates fatigue and
irritability.)
Longer
naps
For as
long as your child sleeps
The
gifts:
Repeat
all of the above stages in cycles
In order
for your child to receive all of these wonderful gifts he must sleep long
enough to pass at least once through each stage of sleep. Longer naps will
encompass additional sleep cycles and provide a continuous presentation of
gifts.
Newborn
babies have unique cycles that slowly mature over time. A newborn sleep cycle
is about 40 to 60 minutes long, and an infant enters dream sleep quickly,
skipping several sleep stages. Infants need several sleep cycles to receive
their full allotment of gifts. If your infant is sleeping only 40-60 minutes at
naptime it is an indication that your baby is waking between cycles instead of
returning to sleep on his own. WeÕll cover a plethora of ideas to help your
baby learn to go back to sleep without your intervention.
Now you
can clearly see why a short nap doesnÕt provide your baby or young child the
best benefits of napping. You can also see why a mini-nap can fool you into
thinking it is enough Ð since the very first five to fifteen minutes
reduce feelings of sleepiness and bring that whoosh of second-wind energy that
dissipates quickly, resulting is fussiness, crying, crankiness, tantrums and
whining.
~~~~~
From The No-Cry Nap
Solution: Guaranteed Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Naptime Problems by Elizabeth Pantley (McGraw-Hill, January 2009). Here is the link for information and more
excerpts: http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth/