The benefits of sleep training go beyond teaching your little one how to sleep independently. In this article I will talk about the amazing impact of sleep training on your little one’s physical, mental, cognitive, and emotional wellbeing. I will also discuss how sleep training promotes your wellbeing as the parent.
Research shows that children who sleep through the night, and have early bedtimes, develop regulated emotions, develop stronger immune systems, have decreased risk of health problems and perform better academically. Parents of these children tend to be happier, healthier, have better romantic and social relationships and enjoy more free time for career and skill advancement.
I have no doubts that as a parent you would love these benefits for you, your partner and your children. However, I know what you are thinking at this moment, ‘Sure my baby will figure this out on his own, right? My niece started sleeping through the night when she was only 5 months old, so I’ll wait a bit longer’.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the majority of children will not sleep through the night without intervention. A well-known study of children between the ages of 15-48 months found that 84% children with a sleep problem at baseline (bedtime battle, night wakes, or both) were still having a sleep problem at 3-year follow up (Kataria et al., 1987).
How about younger infants, you ask?
Research has shown that among young infants who experience night wakes and other sleep problems at night, 21- 41% were still having sleep difficulties at three years of age (Byars et al., 2012; Zuckerman et al., 1987)
But here is the good news! Sleep training or sleep coaching is a safe and effective way of achieving restorative sleep and setting your little one up for lifetime success.
What are the benefits of sleep training?
Here are some awesome benefits that you will notice within a few short days:
- Falling asleep faster as the new chain of behaviours will help your little one to predict that sleep is coming
- Less or no night wakings as it teaches your little one independent skills to put themselves back to sleep in between sleep cycles
- Increased sleep quantity in 24 hour cycle as it involves getting your little one on a developmentally appropriate schedule that promotes longer sleep durations
And now some awesome long term benefits:
- Better cognitive function— Research shows that students with consistent bedtime perform better academically (Kelly et al., 2013); while a Child Neurology study found that 18 months old with late bedtimes exhibited poorer cognitive development (Lemura et al., 2016).
- Better Mood— Babies with longer sleep duration tend to be more approachable and adaptable to new situations compared to babies who are not well rested (Spruyt et al., 2008)
- Reduced Obesity – Toddlers who get enough sleep have a decreased likelihood of obesity. A huge body of research shows that toddlers and children with poor sleep habits and inadequate duration are at higher risk of obesity and related eating behaviour (Hager et al., 2016; Vander et al., 2018; Miller et al., 2019).
How can Sleep Training help YOU as a parent?
The very obvious thing is that you will enjoy an uninterrupted 8ᐩ hours of sleep. You will reclaim your evenings as you will not go in and out of your little one’s room for hours or even worse, be stuck in your little one’s room each night. You can use that time to work out, socialize, relax on the sofa, start a new hobby or even a side hustle? Whatever your goals and ambitions might be, you will have time and clarity to pursue them.
You will be in a better emotional state.
A study by Sharkey et al. (2016) found that infant’s sleep was linked to maternal postpartum depression and stress and recommended infant sleep intervention for improving maternal sleep, postpartum depression and stress and feelings of failure as a mom.
Your intimacy with your partner will improve. Studies show that children’s sleep disruptions can negatively impact marital intimacy (Lee et al., 2013).
You will become more patient with your little one and everyone around you. You will be more attentive. Afterall, you cannot really perform well at work and remember all the appointments if you are running on an empty tank and jugs of coffee.
Although outlining the full range of benefits that sleep training offers is beyond the scope of this article. From this concise summary you can grasp that sleep training is win-win for your little one and everyone involved!
Main – Photo by Minnie Zhou on Unsplash
