Working Moms Group - UT
March 9, 2018: Sleep: For you and your Kids
Topic: Sleep: For you and your Kids
Date
Attendees
Presenter: Patricia Carter
Other Attendees: Redd, Kathryn E Joanna Tryon Merri S Wilson Myra Gibbs, Kozlowski, Jillian M Julia D Chinnock Talley, Sarah B Merri S Wilson Eva Reavley Kayla Ford Gonzalez, Andrea G Corson, Sara L
Discussion Notes
- Studied caregivers for late stage cancer family members. Found that depression increased by 50% when they did not get good sleep.
- Cant take sleeping pill bc it lasts for 8 hours and you have to care for kids every 2-4 hours.
- How can we get some sleep that works for your life, even if not 8 straight hours at night
- Questions:
- Sleep is organized in 90 minutes segments throughout the night
- If you can package 2 90-minute segments (maybe 4 hours total to include falling asleep and waking up) and you can do it twice in 24 hours, then you will get the 8 hours you need.
- Go into a deep wave sleep at about 45 minutes, so a 20 minute nap is a light sleep that can recharge you physiologically.
- How to power nap (just a 20 minute nap): A "napaccino"
- Caffeine takes about 20 minutes to actually kick in
- Drink caffeine drink (pure dose like black coffee)
- Lay down for a nap
- Set alarm for 20 mins, and caffeine and alarm will wake you up at the same time
- More for emergency purposes!
- Think of caffeine as a drug that you are using to boost your abilities (only take when you need it to support you)
- White noise machines? Are they okay? Is there a stopping point/age?
- White noise is awesome!! It gives your brain permission to not have to listen to the other stuff.
- You can use them at any and all ages…there is no end point needed!
- Silence is deafening and is easy for kids to get distracted by any little noise.
- Be sure to use the same “sound” all the time (for some sound machines, there are different noises, like waves or rain…she just said to pick one and stick with it).
- But be sure to only use it when you want them to sleep. Don’t use it when just trying to soothe or calm kids because they associate that sound with sleep time.
- While sound machines are great, things like the Radio, TV, programs, songs are a NO. Kids associate those things with being awake, so don't use those.
- Weaning off middle of night feedings:
- Suggestion: get together with pediatrician to make a plan
- Typically the reason they are waking up (if breastfeeding) is because they digest breastmilk quickly and easily and so they get hungry sooner. Solids foods may help.
- Also be sure you are not responding. Just because they wake up, doesn't mean they need to be fed.
- Night Terrors:
- Sleep is an incredibly complex neurological process and can easily be disrupted, especially for kids.
- It's like a really exciting dream (they are not necessarily terrified like it might sound)
- As parents, you should:
- Know that it won't last very long
- Go in and peak and make sure they are not trapped/in trouble
- Otherwise, dont wake them up, dont pick them up. Picking them up can actually prolong it.
- Night terrors are along same lines as sleep walking/talking (parasomnia...transitioning between stages and things that normally happen in the brain are being acted out)
- Can be triggered by the child being over sleepy or fevers/illness (anything that disrupts the quality of sleep)
- If they wake up, let them self-soothe and get back to sleep.
- Night terrors MIGHT be connected or develop to sleep walking. Crib safety nets may be needed!
- Family History: Mom and grandma can go to sleep fine, but wake up without fail at 4 a.m. Am I screwed?
- We are wired as humans to go to sleep right after sun goes down, sleep for 4 hours, wake up for 1-2 hours and then sleep again around sunrise.
- With invention of electronic lighting and people leaving to go to jobs, this messes up the rythym, but as humans, we WANT to have that first and second sleep.
- 1 a.m. - 2:30 a.m.:witching hour, especially for women
- Will take 30-60 mins to feel sleepy again
- You have to choose the right things to do in that time so that you can go back to sleep: no overexposure to bright light, keep low core body temperature (have a cold drink), go into another room, turned something boring on TV, sit on floor and stretch legs to help with relaxation.
- When you start to feel sleepy again, go back to bed and aim for another 90 minutes atleast to get another sleep cycle.
- Waking up at 4:30 a.m. (only 1 hour before alarm): not genetic at all, but likely related to the stress that is coming up in the day. Like a pre-meeting before the day starts.
- Tell self, "my job right now is to sleep right now" try to say this in a supportive/calm way and not get angry at self.
- Also may need to distract self from doing pre-work
- Distractions: sing to self (in brain, not outloud) Christmas songs, say a prayer, anything that is automatic and you dont have to think, visualizations (running water) and just see the picture (don't verbalize it)
- Waking up at 1 a.m. and doing a load of laundry until tired again:
- Creating positive reinforcement for self (you are being productive)
- It takes 60 minutes for melatonin to kick in,
- If you push pass the 60 minutes, the 60 minutes starts over again and you may be up much longer!
- Melatonin supplements for self? for kids?
- Melatonin is your naturally occuring sleep medicine
- Driver of your circadian rythym
- Problem with external additive melatonin:
- When you take something you dont need, your body says, why do I need to produce this anymore? If you give external melatonin when they dont need, we run the risk of cutting off our natural production.
- Some people are melatonin defficient, then you have to take some to reach the level you need, so certain people need a supplement.
- Can test levels of melatonin via blood test.
- For kids, they dont reach their maximum ability to sleep until 22, so the concern with melatonin supplement is are we disrupting their ability to produce their own melatonin. No real science on this, but is a good question to ask.