After the first night that we hold our child in our arms, the advice of experienced mothers appears in our minds: “sleep a lot before he is born because afterward nothing will be the same.”
How right they were! However, this tiredness is worth it, not only because of the bond we forge with our children, but because our baby could be smarter than we imagine.
According to Professor Peter Flemminng, a specialist at the University of Bristol , babies who are more intelligent than average and have better mental health need less sleep, and therefore wake up during the night.
The researcher points out that there is actually a very strong link between not sleeping at night with high levels of intellectual achievement and development.
“Human babies are not designed to sleep for long periods; On the contrary, according to evolution, human beings wake up frequently at night,” says the researcher.
Even another study from the London School of Economics and Political Science reveals that children who wake up at night are more intelligent and tend to develop greater creativity than those who sleep earlier or longer.
“People with greater cognitive development are attracted to personal development during the night, even their minds reflect a higher level of cognitive complexity.”
Furthermore, a sign that babies who wake up during the night have better perception and logic is that they know that they will have more attention from their parents, because there are fewer distractions, so they prefer to sleep during the day and enjoy their time. caregivers at night.
Why is there a mismatch in sleep schedules at birth?
Humans compared to other mammals are born between 9 and 18 months earlier, so we need more care because our brains are not fully developed. We require help to walk, eat and meet our basic needs.
Therefore, the brain that is still developing, having only 25 percent progress, needs rest, but also stimuli that helps it grow properly, such as mom’s love, physical contact and the bond we forge with them.
The only thing we need as moms and dads is to be patient and give them the care they deserve so that they grow up healthy and we help them develop that intelligence that they have been showing since they were little.
How to help you regulate your biological clock?
As the baby grows, it is necessary to help him regulate his biological clock so that he has adequate rest, as well as physical, neurological and emotional growth.
Some tips that we can follow to achieve this are:
- Make sure your bedroom is dark and at an appropriate temperature.
- Set a time to sleep and wake up.
- Create routines where you identify bedtime such as bathing him, telling him stories or singing him a song.
It is important that we take care of ourselves and “arm ourselves with patience” to give our children what they need.
