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What does a good nights sleep give you?

Quality sleep has a huge impact on our health, energy, learning, and memory.

I had a recent realization that I am in a vicious sleep pattern with my wee babes. What started out as infant needs have now turned into toddler habits. Continual night waking’s with a constant need for mamma as led to sleep deprivation for us all. When I saw a post on Facebook about lack of sleep from a year ago (thanks Facebook memories!) I realized that the sleep issues in our house were not just a phase that would pass, and I needed to take action. So. I hired a sleep coach.

This weekend I am about to embark upon changing my habits and my children’s to allow for a chance to develop more consistent sleep for us all. This is not going to be easy, or even fun. But the end goal- sleep- is necessary.

Here is what sleep gives us?

  1. Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who’d slept after learning a task did better on tests later.
  2. Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.
  3. Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps, and road accidents.
  4. Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.
  5. Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.
  6. Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the Healthy Body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer.

(taken straight from Harvard Health- these people are smart cookies!) Click here

What about the kids? Here’s the deal:

  1. Sleep promotes growth: Growth hormone is secreted overnight, so for a healthy strong growing child, sleep is key.
  2. Sleep helps the heart as it does with adults: If children are not sleeping well, both blood sugar and cortisol (stress hormone) remain high.
  3. These can lead to diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
  4. Sleep = healthy immunity: Sleep allows the immune system to fight infection. Typically you see fewer bouts of colds and flu with a child who has a healthy sleep pattern (this doesn’t mean, NONE, but less, which is good.)
  5. Fewer accidents: kids who sleep less are clumsier and pay attention less to their surroundings
  6. Sleep promotes learning and brain development! Memory improves with sleep!

I will be keeping the above health benefits in mind as I embark upon changing our habits. Stay tuned for the suggestions that my sleep coach makes for me and how it went!

Read about how it went with the sleep coach Click here