Topic: Sleep: For you and your Kids
Date
Attendees
Presenter: Patricia Carter
Other Attendees: Katy Redd, Joanna Tryon , Merri Su Ruhmann, Myra Gibbs, Kozlowski, Jillian M Julia D Chinnock Talley, Sarah B Merri S Wilson Eva Reavley Kayla Ford
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 machine? Are they okay? Is there a stopping point?
- White noise is awesome!! It gives your brain permission to not have to listen to the other stuff.
- Silence is deafening.
- Use the same kind all the time
- But be sure to only use it when you want them to sleep.
- Radio, TV, programs, songs: NO! They are associating 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.
Action items