If you have not already done so, please read Blog Posts 1 through 5 that describe how sleep is important and beneficial. I will post specific information for parents and children based on my book, “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.” Please do not be put off by my book’s length. This is a reference book. Read only the topic of interest to you.
2. MOTHERS
Blog Post 203-Mother’s Sleep and Overall Quality of Life and Infant’s Sleep
A 2022 paper by Professor Liat Tikotzky illustrate how important mother’s sleep is for her relationship to her baby. The mother’s sleep was objectively recorded for seven nights at 4 and 8 months of age. Each evening, mothers rated the level of agreement with the following statements regarding their feelings toward their infant:
1. Today, I had patience to care for my baby.
2. Today, I had a desire to be with my baby.
3. Today, I felt anger toward my baby.
“When a mother had lower objective sleep quality on a given night, she reported lower levels of patience for her infant and more anger on the following day. Improving maternal sleep quality might be an important target for future interventions which help mothers to feel more positively toward their infants.”
Another 2022 study, “Factors associated with maternal overall quality of life six months postpartum” from Norway included almost 90,000 mothers and children.
The mother’s ‘overall quality of life’ was measured by her agreement or disagreement with five questions:
1. In most ways my life is close to my ideal.
2. The conditions of my life are excellent.
3. I am satisfied with my life.
4. So far, I have gotten the important things I want in life.
5. If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing.
When the child was 6 months of age, they studied:
They asked how these items were related to the mother’s ‘overall quality of life’.
Mothers’ overall quality of life was associated with joy of motherhood, relationship satisfaction, and especially, long infant sleep duration.
Their conclusion: “Health professionals and clinicians should focus on infant’s sleep but also on supporting joy of motherhood and strengthening relationships of the new parents when they develop health interventions or provide counseling to new mothers and families.”
∙ Blog Post 111 confirms that an indirect intervention to improve maternal sleep quality is moving the infant’s bedtime earlier:
1. Infant’s night sleep duration increased.
2. Infant’s night awakenings decreased.
3. Maternal sleep quality improved,
4. Maternal postnatal depression decreased
Another study showed that better sleep in older children (2-13 years) improves mother’s mental health.
Blog Post 208-Moms: Do You Feel Sleepy?
There is a relationship between mother’s sleep and baby’s sleep during the baby’s first two years.
During the baby’s entire first two years of life, about 30% of mothers get inadequate sleep and 35% of mothers get adequate sleep. About 20% of mothers get inadequate sleep throughout their baby’s first year and adequate sleep during the entire second year. The remaining mothers transition between inadequate sleep and adequate sleep during the baby’s first and second year.
What infant sleep characteristics, at 3, 12, 18, and 24 months, predict whether the mother gets adequate or inadequate sleep during the entire first two years? At all four time points, if the infant has fewer nighttime wakings requiring parental attention, mothers were able to get adequate sleep. The next most common infant sleep variable (at 12 and 24 months) was an earlier bedtime for the baby.
Moving the baby’s bedtime earlier (Blog Post 174) might help your baby sleep better at night and then both of you will get more sleep!
