Crying and Stress

Nutrition and exercise are amazing for our overall health but sleep and the benefits it has on our wellbeing is second to none. When you have good sleep it supports our mood, behaviour, development and the overall wellbeing of everyone.

Benefits of Sleep

Here is a blog I wrote on the benefits of sleep. Alongside these well-known benefits, Michael Gradisar B.Sc. (Hons), M.Psyc. (Clin), PhD, Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Clinical Child Psychology at Flinders University in Australia has some interesting insights. His research may be particularly reassuring for parents who are considering making changes to their child’s sleep but feel worried about how their little one might respond.

Evidence-Based Sleep Consulting

The majority of parents that come to me are nervous about making changes to their little ones sleep and some parents share with me that their worry comes from reading articles and opinion pieces online suggesting that crying when little ones are learning to sleep could be harmful.

It may surprise you to know that I was one of these parents, and I did not seek sleep help for several months because of the reading I had done online.  I am very empathetic and it is completely understandable to feel concerned about crying. Hearing our child cry can be incredibly difficult, and naturally we want to stop the crying and make sure that anything we do is supportive, loving and safe.

Michael Gradisar

Professor Mike Gradisar has reviewed the research around sleep, stress and crying, helping to bring some much needed clarity to what can feel like a very confusing subject. His work offers parents a more balanced, evidence-based perspective when thinking about making changes to their child’s sleep.

At Little Dreams, we always aim to work in a responsive and nurturing way. I don’t suggest a ‘cry it out’ approach as it is not something I could do myself with my little one but instead, I offer evidence-based methods which mean you can be there for your little one physically and emotionally whilst they learn.

At the same time, it’s important to recognise that when we make changes to sleep, some protest or crying can be a normal part of the process. This doesn’t mean that your child is being ignored or that you are doing something wrong. Often, it is simply their way of expressing that something feels different as there will be change.

Whilst it can understandably feel upsetting to hear your child cry, research reviewed by Professor Gradisar suggests that brief periods of crying associated with bedtime changes do not necessarily indicate that a child is experiencing harmful stress or elevated cortisol levels.

Understanding this can be reassuring for parents who are trying to balance their natural instinct to comfort their child with the desire to help them develop healthier, more settled sleep.

We are parents too

At Little Dreams, we’re parents too, and we understand just how emotionally difficult sleep challenges can feel. We would never recommend an approach that we weren’t confident was safe, appropriate and grounded in evidence. Our work is guided by research alongside an understanding of each individual child and family because there is no one-size-fits-all approach to sleep.

You can explore Professor Gradisar’s review of the research to learn more about the evidence behind these findings. Click here for his article on stress, sleep and cortisol.

Sometimes, understanding what’s happening and making big or small changes can make a really big difference.

Note

There are a lot of articles and opinions out there on baby and child sleep, but it does not make it true. Remember that when you ‘hear’ a scientific finding, find the primary source (ie, original study) and critically evaluate it.