Sleep is one of the best things that nature has blessed us with. It is the sleep that prepares us for another round of activities we have to perform throughout the day. Sleep is such a natural phenomenon that it forces you to relax your body and leave everything else for the second round and this goes on for the rest of life until a person sleeps forever.
We know that sleep is a physiological phenomenon and has a lot of details and physiology to understand, we are also aware with the fact that importance of sleep in the life of a person no matter what age he is, can never be overemphasized.
Sleep, a necessary phenomenon for a normal mind and body
Sleep is a natural and most necessary phenomenon to spend a normal life with a healthy mind and body. Without a healthy mind and body, no one can survive for too long. A lot of studies have proved that if a person is a sleep deprived, his cognitive abilities are lost to an astonishing level and his body stops responding to normal stimuli. So, sleep is not just related to the physical exertion, it is also attributed to mental exhaustion and rest is always required to rewind your mind, body, and soul.
Sleep also serves as a source of meditation and helps in the relaxation of mind as much as possible. It also serves as an antidepressant and keeps your mind alert for the latter part of the day.
Normal requirements for the sleep
Different studies and data analysis has proved that each age group has different needs for sleep. For example, a newborn needs a greater number of hours for his body and mind than an adult. Let’s have a look at the normal sleep cycle for each age group. Keep in mind that we are more interested in knowing the sleep cycle of babies and newborns.
According to the guidelines, a newborn needs almost 14 to 17 hours of sleep in one day. This basically means that a newborn up to the age of one month and around keeps sleeping for most of the day which is good for his health and development. When he reaches up to one year of age, the sleep cycle is reduced to almost ten hours, but he keeps having little naps here and there. So, the overall time is ten to 14 hours of sleep in one day.
When a child reaches two years of age his sleep requirements reduce a little bit and he finds himself fresh in ten to twelve hours of sleep. By the age of 6 to 11 years, the daily requirements of sleep are nine to eleven hours.
Sleep diary of a child is maintained for checking the normal sleep cycle of the babies and is useful to assess if any changes in the behavior of the baby are attributed to sleep deprivation. This helps in the management plan of his growth and sleep problems.