BY 3 MONTHS BABIES AND CHILDREN UP TO 6 YEARS OLD SHOULD BE GETTING 11-12 HOURS OF SLEEP EACH NIGHT FOR HEALTHY BRAIN DEVELOPMENT.
I cannot say enough about the importance of sleep for our little ones. Sleep is what nourishes the brain and food nourishes the body. The first three years of a child's life is all about the development of their brain and ultimately their lives. I came across this article and all I can say is: AMEN!
From a recent article on Mamamedia:
"When is your baby sleeping? According to a recent study, babies who get most of their sleep at night --as opposed to during the day time naps -- do better on tests of executive functioning, including impulse control, mental flexibility and working memory, compared to kids who sleep less at night. This research boosts what studies have been finding --that early childhood sleep plays a key role in the development of the higher order cognitive process, which may later contribute to emotional and social adjustment and achievement in school.
The results raise the possibility that infant sleep affects developing brain structure in higher order cognitive processes in the first two years of life. The authors of the study wrote, 'thereby setting in motion a cascade of neural effects that may carry substantial implications of later executive functioning.'
The restorative features of sleep may be specifically prominent in the frontal cortex, which is one of the most densely connected brain regions during wake time, and may thus require more recuperation during sleep."
Never underestimate the power of sleep!
davis.
