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Co-sleeping and sleep disorders???
I need the 'research' on this. A medical person and I are having discussions about this. This person feels that there is solid research out there showing the connection between pro-longed co-sleeping (babe is over six months) and chronic sleep disorders both in childhood and adulthood. Please, anyone who knows where the research was done and where I can read about it, pass it along. Thanks mamas!
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Hi havilah, No, she hasn't backed herself up. She's told me that it's out there so that's what I'm looking for - the research to back it up. Research mamas any ideas?
Well, you could go to Medline and search out articles by James McKenna.
Go to www.kellymom.com - they have plenty of articles on all sorts of subjects, I'm sure cosleeping is one of them.
Also check out www.drjaygordon.com and www.askdrsears.com for articles.
If sleep disorders are from cosleeping, maybe she can explain why even the vilest "sleep experts" quote a 33% incidence of "sleep disorders" in North American babies, when we know darn well that 33% of babies here do not routinely cosleep from birth beyond 6 months.
You go get those articles and show her what a ninny she's being. Then ask her to come up with some, too.
Go to www.kellymom.com - they have plenty of articles on all sorts of subjects, I'm sure cosleeping is one of them.
Also check out www.drjaygordon.com and www.askdrsears.com for articles.
If sleep disorders are from cosleeping, maybe she can explain why even the vilest "sleep experts" quote a 33% incidence of "sleep disorders" in North American babies, when we know darn well that 33% of babies here do not routinely cosleep from birth beyond 6 months.
You go get those articles and show her what a ninny she's being. Then ask her to come up with some, too.
If your looking for the study to support her idea of cosleeping=sleep disorders check out some less than reputable sources:Ezzo,Weislebeth(sp?), baby Whisperer,etc... most make claims such as this but also do not have studies to back it up.
I read that some babies are signallers and some are self soothers and cosleeping is very beneficial for the signallers-I think on James Mckenna site.
http://www.drfeder.com/children/co-sleeping.htm
a bit of topic-sorry.
Meg
I read that some babies are signallers and some are self soothers and cosleeping is very beneficial for the signallers-I think on James Mckenna site.
http://www.drfeder.com/children/co-sleeping.htm
a bit of topic-sorry.
Meg
Quote:
I guess the whole human race has had sleep disorders for eons then. Hasn't cosleeping been just about the only safe option for human infants since the dawn of human time until the modern era when houses and central heating made separate sleeping possible?
| This person feels that there is solid research out there showing the connection between pro-longed co-sleeping (babe is over six months) and chronic sleep disorders both in childhood and adulthood. Please, anyone who knows where the research was done and where I can read about it, pass it along. Thanks mamas! |
I love it when this subject comes up and I'm just WAITING for a medical "professional" to give me this opinion. And if they gave it to me with evidence I'd be shocked.
Anyhow, I wonder why adults are expected to sleep with other adults yet children are supposed to sleep solitary? It's weird if two people in a relationship sleep in seperate rooms or seperate beds, yet even MORE strange if a child sleeps with its parents.
I've never seen a co-dependant tiger, have you?
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I think disorders in general arise when you're deprived of something you needed early on.
Most young babies and young children need to be by a warm body, be it a parent or a sister or brother, etc. Some do not. It's just another one of those whatever works things!
Take care,
Karen
Anyhow, I wonder why adults are expected to sleep with other adults yet children are supposed to sleep solitary? It's weird if two people in a relationship sleep in seperate rooms or seperate beds, yet even MORE strange if a child sleeps with its parents.
I've never seen a co-dependant tiger, have you?
I think disorders in general arise when you're deprived of something you needed early on.
Most young babies and young children need to be by a warm body, be it a parent or a sister or brother, etc. Some do not. It's just another one of those whatever works things!
Take care,
Karen
You might want to check out Dr. Dement's book "The Promise of Sleep" I think it's called. It was used as a reference in the No Cry Sleep Solution so I read it. He's apparently the number one sleep researcher in the U.S.
His book is all about sleep, not specifically about infants but I think there may have been something in there about where and how sleep disorders arise.
His book is all about sleep, not specifically about infants but I think there may have been something in there about where and how sleep disorders arise.
I think you have to look at what people are referring to when they say "sleep disorders."
Many people believe that babies should be sleeping through the night at 6 months old. They believe after that age, we should all have 8-10 hours of uninterrupted sleep. So, co-sleeping DOES prevent babies from sleeping through the night.
It's not a disorder. It's just abnormal in terms of our culture.
I'd be interested to know what they see in older children, teens, and adults who co-sleep. If they have sleep disorders, what exactly are these disorders? Nightmares? Insomnia?
Dina
Many people believe that babies should be sleeping through the night at 6 months old. They believe after that age, we should all have 8-10 hours of uninterrupted sleep. So, co-sleeping DOES prevent babies from sleeping through the night.
It's not a disorder. It's just abnormal in terms of our culture.
I'd be interested to know what they see in older children, teens, and adults who co-sleep. If they have sleep disorders, what exactly are these disorders? Nightmares? Insomnia?
Dina
Quote:
Exactly. And it is often also defined by parents' feeling troubled over child's sleep. How that makes it a disorder if my son feels great and has energy and I am tired, I don't know! Sounds like I'm the one with the sleep disorder, and should stop trying to stay up to get stuff done after DS goes to sleep!
Weissbluth cites his own original research and others in HSH,HC. That would be one place to look. Though, again, the criticisms above hold.
Originally Posted by thirtycats I think you have to look at what people are referring to when they say "sleep disorders." Many people believe that babies should be sleeping through the night at 6 months old. They believe after that age, we should all have 8-10 hours of uninterrupted sleep. So, co-sleeping DOES prevent babies from sleeping through the night. It's not a disorder. It's just abnormal in terms of our culture. I'd be interested to know what they see in older children, teens, and adults who co-sleep. If they have sleep disorders, what exactly are these disorders? Nightmares? Insomnia? Dina |
Weissbluth cites his own original research and others in HSH,HC. That would be one place to look. Though, again, the criticisms above hold.
This is my favorite article on co-sleeping ever, from the ivillage website - Dr. McKenna describes six studies showing that the effects of co-sleeping appear to be overwhelmingly positive, and, shockingly enough, the longer the better... (I hope the link works. If not, let me know and I'll try to post the article a different way.)
http://www.parentsplace.com/babies/s...5403-5,00.html
http://www.parentsplace.com/babies/s...5403-5,00.html
Thank you for this link, April!!
I printed it out. Great reference to have on hand!!
(I just LOVE Dr. McKenna!!)
I printed it out. Great reference to have on hand!!
(I just LOVE Dr. McKenna!!)
You know, that theory makes NO SENSE! As a PP described, humans have been cosleeping for eons. There is not way we could have evolved to this point if our ancestors all had sleep disorders!
The only way I could see this holding true, is when a baby who clearly needs their own space is kept in the family bed without regard to that need. I don't think there are many babies who are like that, but they do exist. My DD is like this right now (very light, aware sleeper, needs complete dark and silence to achieve and maintain sleep). She was becoming very lethargic and unhappy during her waking hours because she was being awakened by our movements in bed and not getting enough sleep as a result. We moved her to her own room this week and she is already doing much better during the day. But I think this situation would be very rare and not a good reason for saying all cosleeping is bad.
The only way I could see this holding true, is when a baby who clearly needs their own space is kept in the family bed without regard to that need. I don't think there are many babies who are like that, but they do exist. My DD is like this right now (very light, aware sleeper, needs complete dark and silence to achieve and maintain sleep). She was becoming very lethargic and unhappy during her waking hours because she was being awakened by our movements in bed and not getting enough sleep as a result. We moved her to her own room this week and she is already doing much better during the day. But I think this situation would be very rare and not a good reason for saying all cosleeping is bad.
Another book reference is "Our Babies, Our Selves: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent" (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...books&n=507846). This is a great read overall due to the comparative discussion of parenting customs and choices around the world. There is a chapter on sleep. IIRC, co-sleeping is still the norm everywhere outside the Western world. Sleep in particular is an issue which I think benefits from being looked at in a cross-cultural context. I mean, I can't bandy any global statistics about here. But if sleep disorders and the like were associated with co-sleeping, wouldn't we have hard evidence in the fact that 99% of adults in non-Western populations would exhibit signs of these disorders?
Karennn: You both make excellent points! I am going to add them to my forensic arsenal.
Karennn: You both make excellent points! I am going to add them to my forensic arsenal.
I think we Westerners are very weird about sleep. We act as if it is our absolute right to be able to sleep a certain way for a certain amount of time. I do agree that a tired mama is not a happy mama, but I think many of us create our own sleep problems by dwelling on how we should be sleeping. KWIM? I know that I felt so much more rested once I gave up the idea of DD "needing" to sleep throught the night by a certain age or that I "needed" to have X amount of hours of totally uninterrupted sleep in order to be rested.
I think you also might want to read The New Yorker Nov 8, 1999 If I remember correctly Ferber recants his views on family beds. I think quoting this might back your possition. Esspcially since sleep disorders is Ferber's field.
I am interested in what type of sleeping disorders she is talking about. Because most of the ones I am familiar with have specific biological causes. We may not totally understand the disorder and what causes it, but we know there is a phyiscal cause for it. For example, narcolepsy.
Quote:
This is supposedly the text of the "Ferber recanted" New Yorker article
http://www.booknoise.net/johnseabroo...ies/self/baby/
Originally Posted by Marsupialmom I think you also might want to read The New Yorker Nov 8, 1999 If I remember correctly Ferber recants his views on family beds. I think quoting this might back your possition. Esspcially since sleep disorders is Ferber's field. |
This is supposedly the text of the "Ferber recanted" New Yorker article
http://www.booknoise.net/johnseabroo...ies/self/baby/
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