Is Sleep as Important as Diet?
Being a pediatric sleep consultant, I am sure you can guess what my answer is to this question. I tend to put a high priority on sleep but am, in my opinion, justifiably passionate about its benefits for babies.
But is my passion for sleep clouding my view on this matter, or is there evidence to support my position? Oh, I am SO glad you asked.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am a firm believer that feeding our kids a healthy, well-balanced diet is essential to their well-being. I might even go so far as to say that it is the single most important factor when it comes to our children’s health.
But sleep is a very close contender, if not equally as important.
Childhood obesity is a huge public health issue, and kids who are obese grow into obese adults, and I am sure I do not need to tell you about all the health issues that come along with obesity. (But just in case you are not familiar, they include: diabetes, heart disease, all kinds of cancer, osteoarthritis, and joint inflammation, and on and on.)
But what does sleep have to do with obesity? Again, I am glad you asked.
A 2008 study1 by the National Institute of Health looked at the average number of daily hours of sleep that kids between 6 months and two years old were getting, and then compared those results with their occurrences of obesity. The children who got an average of less than 12 hours of sleep a day were over twice as likely to be obese as opposed to those who slept for 12 or more. A much larger study2 done in the UK showed similar results.
With all of the health issues, as well as the general quality of life concerns that come along with obesity, it seems to me that sleep should be a major concern for parents.
However, every day I hear people giving advice to new parents which I am sure is meant to be reassuring, but given the evidence, I find it really upsetting.
“Babies sleep when they want to sleep. Don’t force it.”
“Not sleeping is totally normal for a baby.”
“Just follow your baby’s lead. They know how much sleep they need.”
Can you imagine this same kind of talk if it was concerning baby’s diet?
“Babies know what’s healthy to eat. Just follow their lead.”
“Eating chocolate is totally normal for babies.”
“Kids will eat when they’re ready. You shouldn’t schedule mealtimes.”
If you heard those words coming out of anybody’s mouth, you would immediately qualify them as crazy, and you certainly would not listen to their advice for your kids.
As parents, we all obviously want our kids to live healthy, active lives, and we want to give them every advantage to ensure they get a good start. Making sure they get enough sleep, and teaching them solid sleep skills, will go a long way to promoting their overall health down the road.
Sleep has many physiological benefits, same as a healthy diet does. Here are some big ones:
- During sleep your immune system can rest and repair, helping you stay healthy or improving your ability to fight off the cold you have now. What do you do when you are sick? You stay in bed and sleep a lot!
- Heart Health: while sleeping, your heart can rest a bit as well and can reduce the risk of high blood pressure or heart attacks.
- Getting enough sleep can put you in a better mood. When rested you can face the day with energy and not get frustrated as easily.
- Increase Productivity: getting enough sleep can help you be productive throughout the day instead of feeling tired and dragging.
- Sleep improves memory. While you are sleeping, your brain is hard at work: consolidating memories, changing short term into long term memories, creating new connections and making it easier to recall things you have learned. That is why it is so important to get enough sleep before a big test!
Sleep has so many benefits for your body and mind and the lack of sleep is detrimental in all the opposite ways and more. Put as much emphasis on sleep for you and your little ones as you do on feeding them a healthy diet.
1 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18391138/
2 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15908441/
