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page 5..........HAVEN'T BEEN
SLEEPING WELL
by Robert Sullivan, Reporting by Anne Hollister
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Ferber is a mild man who sounds like Mr. Rogers. That he is often portrayed
as an ogre is surprising. He knows children can have serious disorders
like apnea that demand attention. But he feels that "in many cases,
if parents are willing to give their children a chance to fall asleep
on their own, even if that means listening to a certain amount of crying,"
then these parents can help their babies sleep well in our postindustrial
society.
Luci is not convinced. "I think Caroline should be with us."
And so she is. Nevertheless, I remain concerned. I'm six two and ... let's
say, not 150 pounds. What if I roll over? Turns out, that's not a stupid
question. Last August the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy
statement saying that in some co- sleeping situations the risk of Sudden
Infant Death Syndrome could be increased.
The statement pointed out that while cribs meet infant safety standards,
beds do not. Other rules of thumb for co-sleeping families include: no
waterbeds, no beds against the wall, no face-down babies, no smoking or
drinking. And yes, if Dad or Mom is a restless sleeper who could roll
onto the infant, then you might take another look at that crib.
Now, although Caroline is perfect, she already seems to have ingrained
habits. She displays a Leno tendency (he's on, so is she) and a propensity
to snooze after the cock has crowed. This leads me to wonder whether there
are inevitabilities about her sleeping. Is she a genetically predisposed
owl?
"I do believe there is a genetic component to many sleep disorders,
though the science isn't conclusive," says Kavey. "We know that
narcolepsy can be handed down, and I wouldn't doubt that the same is true
about restless legs."
Dement says many sleep disorders are "familial," bred into
the next generation either through genetics or the home environment. This
gives me concern. I'm a short-sleeper; so is Luci. Are we turning Caroline
into one? Or is she, perhaps, a natural short-sleeper? Is there such a
thing?
Edison claimed he could live on catnaps, but he couldn't. All of us,
from Edison (who would crash for 18 hours after a work binge) to Einstein
(who routinely got 11 hours a night), need sleep. And while some people
require less, they are rare.
According to James Walsh, executive director of the Sleep Medicine and
Research Center at St. Luke's Hospital in St. Louis, no more than 5 percent
of adults function well on less than six and a half hours of sleep. Take
the President. "Just look at him," says Walsh. "He admits
that every significant mistake he's made has been due to the fact that
he's been tired."
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