The adoption of routines aimed at promoting good sleep habits, should be established from a very early age. The importance of sleep, the hours of restful sleep and the ideal sleep time, vary according to the stage of age and development.
The importance of sleep for babies
A baby should have a well-established sleeping ritual from infancy. During the first year of life, the child goes through several stages of development. The quality and quantity of sleep are very important, as a motor of growth and autonomy.
Even from the womb, the baby acquires and establishes sleep habits and, according to some experts, the unborn baby’s sleep cycles differ from those of the mother.
A newborn, sleeps more hours than a 6-month-old baby, for example. The newborn’s sleep extends for several periods during the day, alternating with very basic and very primary activities such as feeding. As it grows, the baby’s sleep times are consolidated into one night, and a much shorter one, usually in the evenings.
While the newborn, less than six months of age, sleeps between 14 and 17 hours, a baby over 6 months of age will hardly do ten to 12 hours.
It is in this moment of the child’s life, when it is advisable to establish sleep routines, that they endure throughout their childhood and adolescence. Although, as is natural and due to the multiple activities that will take place in the future, the sleep period will gradually decrease, it is advisable to ensure that it is never less than eight hours a day.
Adults should sleep at least eight hours a day. This is a quantity of sleep more than acceptable. The quality of sleep is something else. The importance of sleep for a healthy and happy life makes us share this last recommendation, which you can get by following this link.
