Magic Sleep Fairy reviews the study: ‘Childhood sleep problems linked to psychosis in young adults’

Reference: ‘Childhood sleep problems linked to psychosis in young adults – study’ – https://apple.news/AIAqxRIn8SLqf1qwOatuoTg

Sadly, this study holds no surprises for me as I’ve long been aware that a lack of sleep in babies and children can have a hugely negative impact on their longer term health – and that’s all areas of health. Emotional responses, aspects of physical health and many psychological issues are often exacerbated, and can even be entirely caused, through sleep deprivation.

Wikipedia states:

“Sleep deprivation, also known as sleep insufficiency or sleeplessness, is the condition of not having adequate duration and/or quality of sleep to support decent alertness, performance, and health. It can be either chronic or acute and may vary widely in severity. All known animals sleep or exhibit some form of sleep behavior, and the importance of sleep is self-evident for humans, as nearly a third of a person’s life is spent sleeping.”

When it is known that sleep is an absolute essential and integral part of supporting good health, why has it become the accepted norm that babies and even toddlers, can’t, won’t and don’t need to sleep?

Much of the parenting ethos today believes that babies are not designed to sleep for long periods of time and still need milk throughout the night for months if not years on end, but this is simply not the case and it is a belief that is so far removed from what the natural and necessary sleep requirements actually are.

Following my ethos and the flexible routine as set out in my book The Sensational Baby Sleep Plan, thousands of parents are thankfully, turning the tide and promoting positive sleep practices with their little ones instead of accepting this new trend that sleep with their baby is unachievable.

When discussing baby sleep, asking health professionals for advice or following the general guidelines set out relating to infant, toddler or childhood sleep, the fact that sleep deprivation is an internationally recognised form of torture seems to be completely disregarded! Mostly, parents are told to just accept that a night’s sleep should not be expected and that at some, unknown point in the future, their baby or child will suddenly just start to sleep and all will be well, but this is rarely how things pan-out.

Instead, parents and children are being sentenced to months and often years of such poor sleep which, as this report states (and there are many more stating similar facts) is having a hugely detrimental affect on all aspects of family life, childhood development & education and general well-being and health.

Quite simply – It does not and should not have to be this way – and I, for one, still promote that sleeping like a baby is a phrase we need to re-believe in!