It is not a hidden fact that in order to be fully energized during the day, you need to have a lot of hours sleeping at night. Nothing zaps your energy out faster than be short of sleep and do a very daunting and physically challenging task the next day. If you are fond of running, whether you are a seasoned athlete, or just wanting to get fit, you need to get the right amount of sleep in order to push your body to the limit should there be a need to.

To further validate the connection, the scientific community has released a journal indicating that the amount of sleep will largely affect the glucose metabolism of the body. If an individual is sleep deprived or just plainly lack sleep several days leading to a race, his glucose metabolism would be impaired. This would result to lower energy production by the body leading to increased fatigue in the body. When this happens, the body will release the hormone cortisol, which would address the issue of stress in the body further degrading the performance level of the athlete.

Not only will lack of sleep interfere with the “fuel situation” of the body, it will also affect other bodily factors like immune system functions, the ability to concentrate and make decisions, as well as endocrine glands functions.

After running, the amount and the quality of sleep that you get will largely determine the extent of tissue repair in your body. It is a given fact that muscle recovery happens faster during sleep. If you do not have enough sleep, then the muscles tears and injuries you got during the run will heal slower leading to decreased level of performance on the succeeding days.

It is important to remember however, that the amount of sleep needed will greatly vary from people to people. Factors like conditioning and physical as well as training state will play a major role. Long distance runners will need more than 10hrs of sleep in order to finish the race, while those who are just recreational runners may need a shorter amount of sleep.

So how in the world will you know you have enough sleep and just how much sleep do you need in order to achieve a peak performance? The answer is easier than you think. You can make a calendar of your sleeping habit and performance level and observe the pattern as you go along. Record the time you go to bed at night and the time you wake up the next morning. Then during running, make a record on your performance like how fast did you get winded, at what pace, and how far were you able to run. After a few days, you will see a pattern with relation to how much you sleep and how well you perform the next day.

Work on this record and adjust accordingly. Identify your strong points and try to build a program or a schedule along that line. This will give you an idea on the optimum amount of sleep that you need in order to maximize your running potential during the day. Build your program from these facts and improve on your way up.

On the other side of the coin, running is also beneficial and is a big factor on the amount and quality of sleep a person gets. Records show that running normally results to physical exhaustion thereby leading to seek more sleeping time. This just shows that both running and sleeping are intertwined when it comes to both quality of sleep and quality of performance one gets.

If there is one thing that babies need which is as important as nourishment it is sleep. It was long proven that it is during sleep when growth happens and it doesn’t just happen regularly, growth doubles during sleep. That is why Doctors and Pediatricians always advice the new moms and dads to let their baby sleep and not play with them all the time.

The problem however lies on the fact that babies are awakened very easily. A sudden loud noise could wake them up and cut sleep short. And while they fall asleep again fast, the damage has been done; the sleep interruption has been made. So as parents, what are the things that you can do in order to help your child gain maximum growth potential at such an early age? Find ways to let the baby sleep completely with as little interruptions as possible.

One way to do this is to develop a sleeping pattern or a bedtime routine for your baby. Setting sleep schedules for babies is one of the more interesting chores to do for both mom and dad. This would help your baby a lot especially if it will be followed with zest and dedication by, not the baby, but the parents themselves. Because most of the time it is the parents that lose track of time especially when they are having so much fun with their little tot.

So, how do you set sleep schedules then?

First, you have to observe your baby’s sleeping pattern at the moment and work from there. Take note of the time when he takes a nap and when he really falls asleep. Base your sleeping time on that pattern and try to work on it and not try to change it for your own convenience. If you have understood his sleeping pattern, then you can now move on to the next step: making the room cozy and susceptible for sleep.

Although it may seem like babies can fall asleep anytime they want and everywhere they can, it would largely make a difference if the place were very conducive for sleep. This will not only make his quality of sleep better, it will also program his mind that when he is in this place, he needs to sleep. This would come handy if your baby tends to stay active even during his sleeping time. Setting the right room temperature, making the room dimly lit, and putting a soothing background music like wave splashes and chirping birds will cut the job in half. If you do not have these, then any music that is repeatedly done like the humming of the air conditioner or fan will still do the trick. All these factors could make one complete sleeping environment for your child.

Third. Contrary to common beliefs, you should not let your baby oversleep. If it is time for feeding or if sleeping time is done, you need to wake the baby up. This is fairly important so as to establish a fixed sleeping schedule. If you allow the baby to oversleep, chances are he will miss his next sleeping schedule and will have a domino effect on his other schedules. But considerations have to be given during times when the baby is not feeling well, or if he just came from a very tiring activity like excessive playing.

Fourth. Be sure your baby is well-fed before putting him to bed. This would prevent the baby from waking up in the middle of his sleep just because he is hungry. Remember, the goal here is to have a sleeping pattern with as little interruptions as possible.

These are some of the things that you, as parents, can do to establish a good sleeping pattern for your child. Just remember to watch out for changes in his sleeping patterns because babies change patterns a lot. Roll with the changes and adapt along the way and do not force your baby to stick to only one pattern because you have been accustomed to it or is very convenient for you. Remember that it is us, the parents, who needs to adjust not them.

Time and time again we are bombarded with facts about the health benefits of sleep. Indeed there are a lot of good things that sleep can bring to our bodies; It keeps us energized throughout the day, it makes our skin glow, sleep even makes our mind alert and upbeat all the time, and most of all, when people get enough sleep, they feel rested and relaxed, ready to tackle the full day of work ahead. Yet the fact remains, too much of anything is bad for you, yes, even sleep.

Just when you think sleeping for extended periods of time will bring you more advantages, think again. Oversleeping can pose serious risk to your health. In fact, it is a known contributing factor for common diseases like diabetes, heart disease and can even cause death. The medically accepted range of time during sleep is 7 to 8 hours per night. Those who sleeps for 9 to 10 hours or even more than that, are considered over sleepers and may have a medical condition called hypersomnia.

But do not adjust your alarm clocks just yet. There are several reasons why people oversleep. Some may be caused by an underlying illness, while others are caused by physical exhaustion. It could be caused as a side effect for treatment or substances being used, and then there are those who are just fond of living a bum life.

Causes of Oversleeping

Hypersomnia is a medical condition characterized by inability of person to check his sleeping habits. This is caused by underlying disorders that make a person feel really sleepy all day long and once given the opportunity to get to bed, they usually sleep for extended periods of time. Persons who suffer from sleep apnea experience temporary cessation of breathing during sleep, which causes multiple awakenings during nighttime and eventually leading to need for more sleep throughout the day.

Medical conditions like depression and other behavioral disorders will most likely cause oversleeping. Doctors have concluded the possibility of sleep as a personal means to compensate with the feeling of depression and the likes. Those who suffer from these conditions think that they can escape reality by limiting the time that they are awake as they would rather be alone in the comforts of their sleep where they feel safe and unthreatened.

The use of chemical substances, whether prescribed or unprescribed, may also cause oversleeping. Certain chemicals found in alcohols, or medicines may have muscle-relaxant effects that will make the body nimble and very relaxed leading to prolonged sleeping time.

Diseases brought about by Oversleeping

Some of the diseases that are brought about or influenced by oversleeping includes diabetes mellitus where it was recently found out that those who oversleep has 50% greater chance of developing diabetes as compared to those who sleeps for 7 to 8 hours.

Waking up late could also be a factor for obesity. A one or two hour extra sleep would significantly alter the body mechanism throughout the day. Instead of feeling energized after a good night sleep, those who oversleep will feel the exact opposite and feel more tired instead.

Oversleeping can also cause severe activity on the neurotransmitters of the brain, causing unbearable headache day in and day out. Research also shows that about 38% out of 72,000 women is at risk of developing heart diseases

These and more diseases are common side effects of over sleeping. As much as possible always get the right amount of sleep everyday to keep your zest up and your wit prepared. Of course it doesn’t always mean you have a sleeping disorder if you find yourself having slept for 12 hours one day. But if the oversleeping becomes rampant and happens too close in between times, a visit to your doctor may shed a light as to why you are experiencing these things and eventually would save u in the long run.

Sleep is probably our most hated thing when we were kids, but now it is our most sought after pleasure as adults. In our day-to-day lives, we are expected to perform at our best all the time whether at work or at play. The seemingly routine things that we do everyday however, becomes extra harder when we do not get enough sleep the night before.

Less sleep means you get tired and burn off the energy too early along the day. It lessens your ability to concentrate on the task at hand. This is very critical if you need to have full attention on your job or risk life and limb. Getting not enough sleep will affect your productivity and even decision-making. This could put a toll on your job and family to say the least.

So the next time you prepare yourself for that most awaited time of the day when you finally get a shut-eye nirvana, follow these unconventional tips to make it last longer and worth every second.

• Position Is Key

You would probably think that the position while you sleep would not matter because you won’t even know it. But studies show that there are certain ways to enable prolonged sleep by lessening uncomfortable positions that makes you wake up and toss around at the middle of your sleep.

If you love to sleep on your back, you need to make sure that you are not using a pillow that is too high or to soft that it affects the alignment of your head and neck.  If you use the wrong pillow, it will most likely affect your breathing pattern at night making you gasp for air or may even lead to sleep apnea. (a condition where you stop breathing momentarily at sleep). It will also cause stress to your neck area causing pain when you move your head.

If you sleep on your side, a pillow in between your legs will not only give you extra comfort, it will also help align you body from head to toe. This position significantly takes off pressure from your spine leading to a more relaxed experience all through the night.

Find a way to make these positions possible just before you doze off, or if you happen to wake up in the middle of the night. A slight adjustment to your sleeping position will go a long way.

• Ease Gadget / Computer Use at Night

Like most people nowadays, you are probably hooked with your gadgets like PDA’s, Phone, Tablets, TVs, Laptops and Computers and most likely use them in bed with the hopes of falling asleep faster. On the contrary, it will make you lose more sleep time. The brain is naturally programmed to slide into sleep mode when there is no light around. The backlight from the gadgets will give the false impression of daytime light fooling your brain to hold back the feeling of sleepiness and make you more alert instead.

You would have probably experienced flipping the channel or browsing websites for too long and losing track of time instead of sleeping. Try to stay away from these gadgets at least an hour before you go to sleep. This will not only condition your mind for the long rest ahead, it will also give you time to do other personal and more important things at home.

• Wake Up Relaxed, Not Surprised!

After you have successfully slept better through the night, there is simply no point in waking up quite shocked and surprised with the sound of the alarms buzzing loudly. Yes we may need that loud annoying sound to wake us up, but there are other ways to deal with it and wake up feeling relaxed.

Instead of using buzzing sounds, you can get yourself those clocks that play music as alarms. Nothing beats the feeling of having complete and sound sleep and waking up on the beautiful melody of your favorite tunes. Not only will it set the mood right for the day, it will also help you feel calm and relaxed all through the challenges ahead.

Lack of sleep as well as over sleeping means problems not only for your health, but also for your attitude in general. Getting the right amount of sleep is good for you, but having a good quality sleep is truly the best for everybody. I am just glad to know that we can do something to achieve peaceful sleep, and the capability and choice is completely yours.

How many times have you experienced waking up in the morning feeling refreshed as you seem to have a good, restful sleep, but it turned sour when you tried moving your head and feel the stinging effects of neck pain? Chances are, you have tried this at least once in your lifetime, and it’s quite annoying to wake up feeling like this.

Sleep neck pain is associated and brought about by improper positions during sleep. It is a must for us to sleep with our necks very well supported during sleep as doing otherwise will surely bother you with neck pains in the morning. The most common cause of neck pain is sleeping on a very soft mattress; muscle strain brought about by stiffening or overstretching of the neck muscles all through the night, poor posture, and even stress. These instances may cause muscle spasms, stretched ligaments, or an irritated nerve.

In order to lessen, if not eliminate, the chances of developing a sore neck in the morning, we can try these steps as they are known to offer good results:

●      The use of feather pillows will give proper cushioning to your neck as they tend to conform to the shape of your neck ensuring a good position and offering better support than those hard pillows. The problem with feather pillows, though, is they tend to collapse over time thus needing to be changed often.

●      Memory foam pillows are a good upgrade to feather pillows. These so-called “memory foam” pillows were developed by NASA to be used in their space programs. They start out flat, but as soon as they are exposed to your body heat, it takes its form and moulds your head into the foam itself. The foam then fixes that size or shape so that you will have the exact and custom fit every time you use it.

●      Too high or too stiff a pillow can render your neck muscles stiff or stretched overnight. Doing away with them might just do away with your neck pains too.

●      Sleeping on your side seems to be the best position to prevent neck and back pain, but be sure to provide ample support to the neck and make sure to use a pillow that is higher under your neck rather than your head.

●      Horseshoe-shaped pillows work best whenever you sleep while sitting on the couch or airplane, car, or even when just watching television in a reclined position as it prevents your head from rolling to the side.

●      Sleeping on your stomach is generally a bad idea as you give too much stress on your back while stretching your neck muscles sideways. The best way to prevent neck pain is sleeping on your back or side making sure ample support is given to the neck.

●      Sleeping position is not the only thing that causes neck pains. Sleeping problems also contribute to the dilemma as stress is a potent pain in the neck. Insomnia, sleep apnea, non-restorative sleep, and a lack of sleep per se could add to the factors contributing to  sleep neck pain.

Here are some of the things that you can do in cases where neck pain is present:

●      Apply ice for 20 minutes and repeat every 2 to 3 hours. This can considerably speed up the healing process while reducing swelling and pain.

●      Apply warm water-soaked towels alternatively with cold compresses for the first 72 hours. This would lead to frequent opening and closing of the blood vessels in the neck area increasing chances of repair.

●      Over-the-counter pain relievers also work in moderation.

●      Avoid agitating the neck injury further by doing activities that could add damage to the situation.

Although sleep neck pain is rampant and occurs from time to time, there is simply no point in experiencing it again. If you can make necessary adjustments to help prevent it, then by all means, do so. An ounce of prevention is truly better than a pound of cure.

Music, on the other hand, has long been known to provide solitude and relaxation. Generations have proven that listening to soft and soothing music will help an individual relax and ease up from stress. Doctors often suggest listening to music 30 minutes before going to bed. This enables the body to recuperate, put down the stress level of the body before finally going to bed. Research shows that about 35 per cent of the population who listen to music right before bedtime significantly increased the quality and time of their sleep.

Sleep help music, then, is one way to calm ourselves after a long tiring day at work. Compared to watching television, which could virtually hook you into just watching the program all night instead of falling asleep, listening to music actually helps you to doze off quickly and enhances your quality of sleep as well.

How Music Affects Our Sleep

The entire process moves around our brain’s capacity to recognize and absorb a binaural beat. Binaural beat has actually been discovered by a German scientist way back in 1839. Binaural beats are understood as a fluctuating rhythm as a result of two auditory inputs. As we listen to music, either using stereo headphones or speakers, our brain detects different and varying sound wavelengths and frequencies at both ears. This difference in frequency makes our brain come up with a “third beat.” As more time is spent listening to music, the brain focuses on listening to this binaural beat thereby keeping your mind off whatever stress you are in.

It has been proven that pulling down your stress levels before going to sleep will help you wake up feeling refreshed and more upbeat than sleeping with a lot of stress (if you could) as it would make you wake up in the morning feeling tired as usual, and it may feel like a continuation of the previous bad day. Studies show that listening to sleep help music helps with the release of stress-relieving hormones which are produced by the parasympathetic nervous system.

Different Sounds and Their Soothing Effects

●      Rhythmic drumming – the continuous beating of the drum at a controlled and uniformed phase will help set the tone and give a hypnotic effect to the brain as it tends to follow the pattern of the drumbeat.

●      Rain sounds – it really feels good to sleep whenever it is raining. It is really hard to get out of bed during rainy mornings as it feels very comfortable sleeping with the rain sounds you are hearing. This could set the mood right during the nighttime too.

●      Thunder sounds – these booming sounds helps cover up loud stereos from your neighbors, barking dogs, and even traffic noises outside the house.

●      Ocean waves – for ages, ocean waves have been our source of relaxation and calm. When played and listened to at night, it may remind you of a relaxing and very calm vacation you recently had. Remembering happy thoughts like this will surely put a smile on your lips even when going to bed.

Sleep help music, along with proper sleeping habits and routines, will make a complete and restful sleep. Limiting your nap time in the afternoon to 30-45 minutes will also help you sleep faster at night. Try it and feel the difference.

Cortisol is considered the “anti-sleep hormone.” As the name implies, the more cortisol level is in the blood, the harder it is for you to fall asleep. It is secreted by the adrenal glands and is a hormone that acts as a trigger of the stress response. Generally, cortisol is responsible for how excited our waking state will be. They are usually at their peak level during the day and eventually wear down as nighttime approaches. Thirty minutes after waking up in the morning, your cortisol levels shoots up  to about 50 to 160 per cent. This explains the fact why you still feel sleepy right after waking up. And the energy will usually start running after you take your shower or have eaten breakfast.

Stress is oftentimes the reason of elevated cortisol levels in the body. It is our body’s way of keeping us awake in times of danger and/or emergency situations. Demands and deadlines at work also result in stress and, therefore, adds up to the total increase of cortisol levels. Prolonged stress over time will render your body accustomed to it thereby releasing a constant amount of cortisol in preparation for another stressful day. This would cause potential sleep problems in the long run because the normally low levels of cortisol during the nighttime will still be elevated causing shallow sleep and frequent awakening at night with difficulty to get back to sleep again.

It is not just the quality of sleep that suffers with elevated cortisol levels. These conditions are also brought about by increased cortisol:

●      Lowered immunity – increased stress plus less sleep will render your body susceptible to diseases as your body defenses will be severely compromised.

●      Short-term memory loss – lack of sleep renders your mind “half-awake and half-asleep” at times making it harder to remember things.

●      Constipation.

●      Weight gain – contrary to common beliefs that a lack of sleep will make you lose weight, it is the opposite that usually happens. Because of the less sleep you get, the more the body tries to preserve carbohydrates which are stored as fat in the abdominal region in order to provide prolonged energy demands of the body. Hence your middle region expands through time.

●      Loss of muscle tone.

●      Bone problems.

It is proper to manage your stress levels if you want to have a good night’s sleep. Apart from a healthy sleeping routine, try relaxing things to do before bedtime. Instead of watching television, try reading a book. This causes your brain activity to significantly decrease. And, eventually, with a relaxed mind, you can sleep soundly. Listening to mellow or jazz music while lying in bed can also help promote relaxation and provide the right mood for sleeping.
It is then fair to say that if you want to have a good night’s sleep and want to feel well rested when you wake up in the morning, a good stress management routine at work, play, or at home every day will be beneficial to your cause. Remember, your stress-relaxation phase goes in a cycle. If you are stressed all day, chances are you will have difficulty sleeping at night. And if you have a lack of sleep, then the more you get prone to stress the following day. Therefore, it is important to shy away from stressful situations in order to avoid elevating your sleep cortisol levels and treat yourself with a well-deserved, good night’s sleep.

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book  ~ Irish Proverb.

Measuring sleep efficiency is usually done in a sleep laboratory in order to get the ratio properly. All aspects about sleep including slight awakening during sleep and how soon you get back asleep, as well as all other aspects are considered and measured to get accurate results. This is fairly hard to do by yourself since relying on your clock will only give you the time you lay down and the time you wake up. You cannot accurately measure the time you were awakened mid-sleep.

Clinical Use of Sleep Efficiency Ratings

More than just knowing how well you sleep every night, determining your sleep efficiency ratio will enable you and the doctor to diagnose any sleep disorders so that further probing could be done in order to determine the underlying causes of these disorders.

Sleep efficiency that is greater than 80 per cent is regarded as the normal value. With this amount of sleep, one will usually feel refreshed and energized in the morning. It is considered as the optimum sleep efficiency to go on with your daily activities without the risk of draining the energy out in the middle of the day. This is the ratio that everyone should aim for in order to get the best quality of sleep possible.

Sleep efficiency of less than 80 per cent, on the other hand, is a diagnostic sign that the patient is suffering from sleep disorders like insomnia and other related cases where sleep is being hampered by the inability of the body to fall into a deep sleep. In most cases, people with insomnia will have a hard time sleeping at night, and when they finally do, they often wake up shortly and then have difficulty with going back to sleep again. This significantly reduces their sleep efficiency since there will be more waking hours in-between sleep times thereby largely affecting the quality of sleep. The body’s cortisol levels play a major role in insomnia cases as insomniacs tend to have high cortisol levels at night when naturally these levels should be way down whenever we are nearing bedtime.

Sleep efficiency greater than 95 per cent, although it sounds good, is also an indication of another sleep disorder. People with sleep efficiencies higher than 95 per cent might be or prone to suffering narcolepsy or idiopathic hypersomnia. These are cases when the brain signals the glands to release excess melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone responsible in inducing sleep and giving that sleepy feeling to an individual. In narcolepsy cases, a patient has the tendency to fall asleep in a blink of an eye even though he is fairly active prior to the incident. This is particularly risky if one is driving, operating heavy equipment, or if working above ground.

Sleep efficiency ratios are not in any way final and fixed. You have the power to change your sleep efficiency ratio by changing your life style in general. The body quickly adapts to changes. So if you instill some good sleeping habits, you might be able to correct any improper sleep efficiency thereby increasing the total amount of sleep and also promoting good-quality sleeping time.

If lately you have been experiencing difficulties in sleeping, you do have an option whether to continue on with whatever you are doing and risk it all, or you can do something about it to save your health. If you want change, then you might want to consider changing your sleeping habits into more sleep friendly ones. Making your bed comfortable, dimming your room, listening to soft music, reading a book, getting rid of television inside the room, and not eating a few hours before bedtime could significantly increase your chances of getting a good night’s sleep. There are a lot of natural sleep help techniques that you can do to help you sleep better.

There are several relaxation techniques that you can do right before bedtime so that you can ease away stress before lying in bed thereby reducing your cortisol levels that are responsible for keeping you awake and usually accompany stress:

●      Visualization – Imagining yourself in a tropical island with the cool breeze of the sea playing softly on your skin, or maybe imagining you are sitting on a porch in front of the vineyard with birds singing all around. This would surely make your mind relax and drift away to an utmost relaxation stage.

●      Relaxation response – The process of sitting down and practicing a controlled breathing technique is known to lower blood pressure if done correctly. Hence it will be able to slow down your metabolism.

●      Meditation.

●      Yoga – Continuous, eight-week yoga instruction is known to improve total sleep time and how fast you get to sleep.

●      Progressive muscle relaxation – Where you alternately subject different parts of your body into tensing and relaxing until your entire body is fully rested.

Diet could also significantly affect how you sleep. Eating haphazardly moments before you get to bed can spell disaster as you will be more prone to a myriad of problems ranging from obesity to heart disorders. Here are some of the diet considerations that you could try in order to get better-quality sleep:

●      Caffeine – This is a well-documented fact that caffeine will keep you awake. But coffee is not just the culprit here. Tea, soft drinks, chocolate, and some over-the-counter drugs will have considerable amounts of caffeine in them too.

●      Sweets – Blood sugar levels are known to fall during the nighttime. This is the normal body mechanism. However, if you introduce too many sweets into your system before going to bed, the burst of energy it can give will be very detrimental to your sleeping agenda. Add to the fact that you will increase your risk of developing diabetes this way.

●       Right snacks – Overindulging in food before bedtime will get you nowhere, but taking a light carbohydrate-rich snack like whole grain crackers can, in fact, help increase the melatonin levels in the body thereby promoting sleep.

●      Magnesium-rich foods – Known to be a natural sedative. Magnesium will successfully increase the possibility of you having a good night’s sleep.

Diet and relaxation techniques are just some of the things that you could do in order to alleviate or prevent sleeplessness. Remember, it is not just a matter of increasing your hours of sleep but also improving the quality. So do your part and give your body the break it truly needs.

At three months old, the baby will begin to develop a sleep-wake cycle that could be more favorable to you. At this age, the baby tends to sleep for 15 hours every day and about 10 hours of those is spent during the night. This could be a welcome change for both parents since they can sleep considerably longer. But then again, do not have high hopes yet as each baby has different ways of adapting to these changes. This “sleep longer” notion would only be as long as five hours. You still need to feed them and perhaps change diapers at night, but at least at this time their tummy can contain a considerable amount of milk so that you do not need to feed them as often as you used to at night.

This could be the right time to start developing a good sleeping habit for your baby. You have to remember, though, that he is still too young at this point to follow a strict routine. You’ll just end up putting more stress on him rather than helping your little child have a better sleep. Generally, at this age your baby will dictate the tempo on when he wants to sleep. You can, however, be watchful enough to see signs of him or her being sleepy. Most parents tend to overlook this as they enjoy playing with them and might forget about nap times. Always remember that how active your baby is during the daytime will translate into how well he will sleep at night.

So how do you develop and instill good sleeping habits for your baby? Consider the following tips:

●      Set bedtimes and nap times – At this young age, you can start developing bedtimes and nap times and try to stick to it as much as possible. You do not have to wait and see signs that he is sleepy like rubbing his eyes, pulling his ears, yawning, and others because even an overly active child may also be sleepy but are not showing signs of it. The good time to put them to sleep is around 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Being overly tired will not help your cause because, contrary to common beliefs, when a child is very tired, he will sleep like a snake are actually false. An overly tired child could have a hard time falling asleep.

●      Bedtime routines – At this early age, it is good to develop a good bedtime routine so that your child will learn to begin looking forward to it every night. When he does feel that the routine is starting, his body will adapt to it and establish sleepiness. Your routine could include; playing quietly with him, a warm bath time, applying mild lotions, dressing up for bed, bedtime stories, singing a lullaby, and closing everything up with warm hugs and kisses.

●      Wake your baby up – Do not be afraid to wake your baby up if he oversleeps especially in the morning. This will help set his body clock and he will tend to follow this in the long run.

There might be instances that your baby will not follow his routines. Don’t despair as your child is still adapting to these changes. Just give support and do not strictly implement these routines in order to let the baby develop at his own pace. These ideas and a lot more you can do to help your baby sleep well through the night and, at the same time, give you that long sleep that you deserve.