{"id":113219,"date":"2023-09-16T10:09:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-16T14:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=113219"},"modified":"2023-09-20T12:09:35","modified_gmt":"2023-09-20T16:09:35","slug":"colic-and-sleep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/colic-and-sleep\/","title":{"rendered":"The Relationship Between Colic and Sleep Issues in Infants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How does poor sleep cause colic? What can you do to help your baby sleep better?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In The Happiest Baby on the Block<\/em>, Harvey Karp notes that irregular or insufficient sleep can contribute to colic. He also provides advice for parents<\/a> who want to improve their baby’s sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discover the connection between colic and sleep below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

How Poor Sleep Causes Colic<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To explain the relationship between colic and sleep, Karp says that newborns tend to sleep between 14 and 18 hours a day, usually for two to four hours with an hour of time awake in between. While asleep, babies tend to cycle between lighter and deeper forms of sleep every hour\u2014if something wakes them up during a deeper sleep cycle, they tend to have an easier time getting back to sleep. During a lighter cycle, though, a baby who has trouble self-soothing may start crying because they\u2019re unable to get back to sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Pediatricians explain that part of the reason why babies sleep so erratically is because they can\u2019t tell the difference between day and night<\/a>. The circadian rhythm<\/a><\/em>, or \u201cinternal clock\u201d that determines how our bodies respond to light and darkness<\/a>, doesn\u2019t develop until around three to six months of age. This is why babies so often don\u2019t cooperate with the sleep schedules of their caregivers\u2014they don\u2019t know any better. And much like adults, babies are worse at emotional regulation while tired<\/a>, meaning poor and disjointed sleep contributes to colic.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helping Your Baby Sleep Better<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While soothing techniques\u2014swaddling, holding on the side\/stomach, shushing, swinging, and sucking\u2014are often enough to help your baby sleep, Karp offers several additional tips for helping your baby get better, longer stretches of sleep:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Feed your baby at the right time: <\/strong>You can help your baby sleep for longer stretches by ensuring they aren\u2019t hungry at night. If your baby still seems hungry after their last meal before sleeping, feel free to feed them a bit more. You can also wake them up between 10 PM and midnight for a feeding to help them sleep through more of the night.<\/li>
  2. Plan your baby\u2019s naps: <\/strong>To help your baby sleep better, make sure to wake them up after they\u2019ve napped for two hours\u2014this ensures they\u2019re awake for their next feeding cycle and will eat enough throughout the day. However, don\u2019t let them stay awake too long during the day either. Otherwise, they\u2019ll get used to only falling asleep when overtired. This will prevent them from learning how to sleep when they\u2019re less exhausted.<\/li>
  3. Help your baby learn to self-soothe: <\/strong>After you put your sleeping baby in their crib, wake them up for a few seconds by jostling them or scratching the bottom of their feet. This will help them learn how to get back to sleep by making them practice it regularly.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    Create a Sleep Routine<\/strong>

    \u201cBedtime\u201d techniques like the ones Karp offers are best used as part of a consistent routine, pediatricians explain<\/a>. This is because consistently doing the same things before sleeping will help your baby associate the two, signaling to them when it’s time to sleep. Here\u2019s how you can incorporate Karp\u2019s techniques into a sleep routine for your baby:

    Incorporate a \u201chunger check\u201d or late feeding into your baby\u2019s nighttime sleep routine, so they learn to associate nighttime feeding with sleep.

    Have your baby nap at around the same times every day for about the same length, so they associate these specific times of day with being asleep.

    Put your baby into their crib while they\u2019re drowsy, but not asleep. Then, once they fall asleep, you can scratch the bottoms of their feet like Karp recommends. This way, your baby can practice self-soothing as well as actually having to fall asleep while in their crib.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    How does poor sleep cause colic? What can you do to help your baby sleep better? In The Happiest Baby on the Block, Harvey Karp notes that irregular or insufficient sleep can contribute to colic. He also provides advice for parents who want to improve their baby’s sleep. Discover the connection between colic and sleep below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":10677,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,13],"tags":[1265],"class_list":["post-113219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-parenting","tag-the-happiest-baby-on-the-block","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Relationship Between Colic and Sleep Issues in Infants - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If a baby is having trouble sleeping, it could lead to excessive crying. 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