Willie wants you to have good sleep habits.
We all have had trouble sleeping but many of us have not had
to see a doctor about it. In today’s
youth, about 20-30% of infants and toddlers are reported to have some kind of
problem sleeping. In the study discussed
here, “Bedtime Routine” by Jodi A. Mindell, 405 mothers and their children
participated in one of two study paradigms.
The first study involved infants while the second involved
toddlers. In the infant study, a
one-week baseline which followed normal bedtime procedures set the stage. Following baseline, mothers were asked to
institute a 3-step nightly bedtime routine, and to follow the routine for 2
weeks. This routine includes 1) bath
with provided (unlabeled) wash product, 2) message with provided (unlabeled)
product, and 3) quiet activities such as cuddling or singing a lullaby. The toddler study was identical to the infant
study aside from the use of lotion rather than a massage for each child. Again, control group families followed normal
home bedtime routine practices for the full 3-week duration of the study.
The findings of the studies showed no significant difference
for all sleep variables across the duration of both the infant and toddler
studies. However, in the infant study,
several differences were observed including decreased onset latency, decreased
number (and duration) of night wakings, increased sleep continuity, and
decreased perception of sleep as a problem by mothers involved. In the toddler study, similar results were
noted. Specifically noted were improvements in number/duration of night wakings (a decrease), sleep continuity,
and parent perception of sleep as a problem or issue in her child. Improvements in morning mood were also
observed in many cases. Lastly, mothers
reported decreases in crying out over night as well as decreases in the number
of times children climbed out of bed.
In other words, these experimental studies provided a means
of positive intervention for participating families. Implementing a consistent bedtime routine
here resulted in shorter sleep onset latency, decreased wakefulness after sleep
onset, and finally in increased sleep consolidation. Parents reported subjective positive
perceptions of their children’s sleep following the studies as well.
I am not all that surprised that a consistent bedtime
routine has such a positive impact on sleep health, but does having a daily,
same-to-the-tee bedtime routine improve your sleep health that much? Apparently it does! However, I regret to confess that as a
college student, I find it extremely difficult to implement such a strict
bedtime procedure. With tests, projects,
reading, homework, and, in my case, lacrosse, Community Leader (RA) commitments
as well as Baylor Student Foundation demands, it is no wonder why I don’t have
the same daily bedtime process, let alone the same daily bedtime. As I continue to progress through this
predicament, I am optimistic that one day I can brag about the efficiency of my
nightly sleep habits!
Last night, I laid my head on my pillow at about 1:30
am. (I am blaming this result on CL
on-call responsibilities but the truth is I just lost track of time.) I had a hard time falling asleep. I have not had difficulty falling asleep
recently, so what could be the issue?
Warning: sleep scholars prepare to be shocked, I did not have my phone near my bed and in
fact had not touched it since 8 pm. So
the lack of light put out by my phone
while I surf through Facebook in bed kept
me awake? Preposterous. Nonetheless, I conclude that this change in routine
(the one common part of my daily bedtime routine) negatively affected my sleep
onset latency time. Maybe my “quiet
time,” per Mindell’s article, is my phone, although I am sure the author would
cringe at those words.
Many busy Americans would benefit from the information presented
in this article, especially those with kids.
Single mothers, who perhaps work third shift, and cannot seem to get
into a regular daily bedtime routine, would benefit from reading and understanding
the contents of Mindell’s article. She
would realize the importance of consistency in her sleep habits even at the sacrifice
of other tasks. A full house with 6 children,
all under the age of 10, usually is headed by tired parents. These tired parents need to read this article
and understand the importance of consistency at bedtime. My parents, with a puppy at home (like a new
baby), should understand the positive impact that consistent day-to-day bedtime
habits can have on their sleep health.
Finally, I, myself need to take these results to heart, and understand
that despite the challenges of my busy college life, my sleep health takes a
certain priority.
I totally relate to your comment about your cell phone. When I gave mine up for the night, I also had trouble falling asleep. I didn't really relate this to potentially being my "bedtime routine" until I read this article. These data show that a regular bedtime routine is very important for sleep health. We probably need to start a new routine that doesn't involve our phones unless we get some stylish orange tinted glasses...
ReplyDeleteI also have difficulty sleeping sleeping when my routine is changed, but that's more if I am sleeping in a different bed or have an important event that day. I think having a set number of activities you do before bed can help condition your brain into falling asleep quicker as it associates those activities with sleep. But I also think if you're using your phone every night before before going to sleep, you are conditioning your brain to think using your cellphone means it's sleep time. That makes me wonder if that has any sleep inducing effects when you look at your phone during the daytime.
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