Bedtime Stories: Sleep 101

This is the second part of my post about JOHNSON’S® Baby Bedtime Discoveries: Bedtime A to Zzz’s.

Experts devote time to study the science of sleep. Yes, sleep is now a science too. It has been proven that our body releases growth hormones while we are sleeping. Kids most especially need the best sleep possible for their growth. While the kids are sleeping, their body can produce up to 3x growth hormones, but is always dependent on how peaceful and the amount of time the baby is asleep.

First let us look on the Science of Sleep and what happens as we close our eyes and drift off to la la land. Sleep has two stages. The NREM and REM. Mammals and birds are the only creature that experience this stages of sleep. Both has distinct physiological and neurological characteristics.

REM or Rapid Eye Movement is another sleep stage where it is characterized by rapid eye movement. Dreams that are vividly recalled by a person usually happens during this stage . REM compromises 20% to 25% of total adult’s sleep time. In infant though, REM contributes 80% to their total sleep time.

NREM or Non Rapid Eye Movement stage compromises 75% to 80% of our sleep time. It is divided into stages, each stages having a distinct characteristic One stage that we are familiar is when we dream of being in a near death situation and we can’t breathe or we can’t move. This happens because our muscles starts to relax but our mind is still half conscious of our environment. After that stage our body and mind enters the deep sleep stage.

And during this time or just when a baby entered deep sleep stage, the highest amount of growth hormones are released. So if your has a better and deeper sleep, the MORE growth hormones are released! And what you must know, growth hormones are at its best production stage during the early life. The best gift you can give to your baby is to maximize the release of growth hormones on her body and that is by providing her a better and deeper sleep.

So how much sleep does the kid needs?

Although every kid has different needs, below are some guidelines on how much sleep a kid need:

If your kid’s sleep stat is close to the above stats, rest assured as your baby i getting enough sleep, but if not, you certainly need to help your kids attain a good night sleep. So what can we do?

First let us define what is a GOOD NIGHT SLEEP. so I would like to share with you The ABC of Better Baby Sleep.

A regular bedtime routine
Be in bed before 9PM
Children should fall to sleep on their own.

It is very interesting to note how a bedtime routine can reduce the lenght of time needed to fall sleep. It can also reduced the times the baby awakes at night and even so the time needed to make the baby sleep again. The best part about it is baby’s sleep time increased and Mom’s anxiety and tension reduced to more than 50%!

Think about it moms, an increased in our baby’s sleep and reduced stress for us. And if you think I am just blabbing, go on and CLICK HERE for the more detailed explanations.

As for the routine, we till have Friday for that! See yah!