It’s shocking how little sleep most people get. It’s the trend in today’s busy, electronic, always-on culture. It’s almost a badge of honor. But it’s not healthy for anyone.
For many parents, especially new parents the night-after-night routine of 2 a.m. (and 4 a.m. and 6 a.m.) wakings goes from “missing a little sleep” to sleep deprivation. In my practice and here at DrGreene.com, I hear from parents that it’s one of the things they are most concerned about — and for good reason. When we sleep our bodies heal from the days’ workouts and injuries and our minds have time to carefully log all that’s taken place since the last time we slept.
The good news is, there are natural ways to encourage a good night’s sleep. They include the right light and temperature at the right time.
In this video, I discuss how you can work with your own (or your child’s) body rhythm to help your body and mind fall asleep and stay asleep.
How to Fall Asleep and Stay Asleep
These tips are not the cure for every sleep issue. Newborns will still wake up to be fed. There will still be trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night. But working with nature makes it easier to fall back asleep when night time sleep disturbances do happen.
When was the last time you felt truly rested? How would having natural energy that comes from a good night’s sleep change your life?
For more information on sleep:
When Baby Won’t Go to Sleep on Her Own
When Children Can’t Sleep
Adolescents and Sleep
Sleep Deprivation and ADHD
Sleep Well. Do Well.
Felien Geldhof
Is too much sleep healthy? Like I fall asleep every moment I can… It’s apparantly my favorite thing to do :)
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Alan Greene
Hi Felien! I like sleep too :)
Different people seem to need different amounts of sleep at different times in life, but for each of us right now there is an ideal zone and getting much more or much less than that is less healthy. People can indeed get too much sleep.
But people who fall asleep every moment they can might be having a problem with something else, such as too little sleep (because night sleep is interrupted – say by obstructive sleep apnea) or a problem with sleep regulation (say narcolepsy). Sleeping more than 9 hours per 24 hours on average, or difficulty staying awake during the day are both good reasons to talk to a doc, or ideally to a sleep specialist.
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