It’s that time of year again, Baby Sleep Day! Of course, we don’t mean your baby should sleep all-day on March 1st, but this day is dedicated to focusing on the importance of a good night’s sleep for every baby and young child, as well as their family. Healthy sleep habits are important for these developing minds and help provide a brighter future for their sleep.
Here at Circadiance all of our products help encourage healthy sleep right down to the tiniest of snoozers. Our NeoPAP offers respiratory support to premature babies who have a hard time breathing. When these babies get the right support they use their calories toward growing, not working hard to breathe. Sometimes these premature babies don’t need the extra support of the NeoPAP but their brains are still developing all the normal reflexes for their future. This can lead to apnea of prematurity, where the ever growing brain quits telling the body to take a breath. Our Smart Monitor 2 was designed with this vulnerable population in mind. Providers, parents, and families can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that our device will alert them if their new bundle of joy were to have any apneic events. Our SleepWeaver masks are for all ages, helping patients of all shapes and sizes find a comfortable, skin friendly solution to sleeping with a PAP device. These unique mask are made of cloth and eliminate skin breakdown, pressure ulcers, and those pesky red marks left from other uncomfortable PAP masks.
Why is sleep so important? Scientists have studied sleep in children and have proven that getting enough sleep is critical to their health, academic performance, behavior, attention, memory, decision-making, and mood. Studies show that kids ages 6 to 12 should get nine to 12 hours per 24 hours, while those ages 13 to 18 should sleep eight to 10 hours (Mann, 2016).
So what can you do? Parents should try to make their child’s room a soothing environment that contributes to healthy sleep. Providing a room free of electronics, including TVs and iPads, as these emit blue light. Blue light has been shown to decrease the production of melatonin, resulting in disturbances in sleep cycles. Limit light from the outside with room-darkening shades, and use low lighting in the bedroom to promote a peaceful environment. Keeping with a consistent routine, even on the weekends, can encourage kids to have healthier sleep habits. Work with your pediatrician to develop good sleep hygiene right from the start of your little ones life.
Mann, L. (2016). Importance of Sleep for Children. Telegram & Gazette.