Sleep problems
About sleep
Sleep is an important physiological process which allows our body to rest and recover. It’s not a time of inactivity however!
When an infant, child or adult is sleeping the brain is in fact very busy, with activity particularly involving higher cortical functions, and some studies state that brain is considered more active during sleep than during wakefulness.
What are normal sleep patterns for age?
When discussing “sleep normals” it should be remembered that there is some variation between different infants, and different ages. It is best to seek our individual advice to determine if your infant is in a normal range.
A sleep problem is any sleep pattern that interferes with the refreshing nature of sleep or that appreciably disrupts the sleep of others. A sleep problem in young children also can be defined solely by the context of parental expectations – not all problems are abnormal, nor do they all need treatment.
The normal sleep patterns change at each age. The newborn sleep pattern is very different to the baby at 2-3 months, 5-6 months, 7-10 months, and 10-12 months, and beyond.
At our practice we assess your baby/child’s sleep patterns, and put them in the context of research into “normal infant sleep,” and how this is affecting your baby’s and your health.
The consequences of sleep issues
The consequences of sleep problems in infants and children are many.
In older children they include daytime sleepiness which manifests often as mood and behavioral disturbances such as hyperactivity, poor impulse control, inattention, social and learning problems.
Sleep problems can affect higher-level cognitive functions such as cognitive flexibility, ability to reason and think abstractly, attention and memory.
On top of this there is reported effects on the cardiovascular, immune, and various metabolic systems, including glucose metabolism and endocrine function.
The consequences of poor sleep in infants may also include distress for parents, which can influence maternal wellbeing.
How to book a consultation with our chiropractors.
Contact our Berwick or Cowes practice to make an appointment.
We provide care for infants/toddlers, children, adults, and throughout pregnancy
All of our OptiStart Chiropractic Berwick Chiropractors primarily use the Gonstead System of Chiropractic. We are the only practice in Berwick, Narre Warren and Beaconsfield that primarily uses the entire Gonstead system as a whole.