[Messy Nessie]

i was wondering if anyone has any links or info to share on sleep deprivation. my dd is nearly 7 mo and she has always been a terrible sleeper and napper and i'm begining to get concerned for her health and development. i remember reading on a mainstream board about links between adhd and sleep deprivation, but i didn't put much stock in it b/c of the source

so anyone here have info on how to determine if my dd is truly sleep deprived and what the effects of long-term sleep deprivation are...

 

[matts_mamamama]

I have no info for you, just a personal experience with my 9 mo old. He's always been a horrible napper too, and we would let him sleep wherever and whenever we could, just so he would get some sort of nap; now he finally sleeps in his crib and sleeps for twice as long as before! His personality is so much happier now! Turns out we were missing some of his sleep cues or simply not responding soon enough ( not saying that you are doing that).

Obviously, there are guidelines for the amount of sleep babies get on average, but I would say that if your baby seems happy and is growing and such at a good rate, not to worry about it. Personally, I don't think adhd is anything to worry about at this age.

Hopefully someone else can help you more.

 

[Messy Nessie]

well, its not adhd at this age... i'm fuzzy on the memory, but the link had something to do with brain development and the effect that sleep deprivation has on that which would lead to adhd. my dh, his brother and father all have adult add, so this is a real concern for us.

its so very sad that there are no doctors to consult with on infant sleep. i don't want to talk to her ped b/c he is very old-school, let-her-cry, etc... and i don't think that is the answer. i'm not sure if she is really sleep deprived, but i know that she is increasingly irritable and fussy during the day and she never really gets into a deep sleep at night. this has gone on since she was a month old, so its not teething or developmental or separation anxiety. the books are all pretty bad, except for the ncss which has been zero help to her in the past 4 months we have been religously doing it. it doesn't feel like this healthy for her, but i'm not sure- maybe it is perfectly fine!

i remember from the cio thread in parenting issues that there were a lot of mamas who had done research on sleep deprivation and i'm hoping they can share some of their info with me

 

[Messy Nessie]

so no one has done any research on this?