Praise for The Rested Child
A fantastic no-nonsense guide to how to recognize why your child is not sleeping well and, more importantly, how to fix it. Rooted firmly in the science of sleep, presented in a highly entertaining manner.
Dr. Guy Leschziner, neurologist, sleep specialist, and author of The Nocturnal Brain: Nightmares, Neuroscience, and the Secret World of Sleep
The Rested Child is without doubt the best book ever written on children and sleep. Everything you MUST know about your childs sleep is under these covers. Dr. Chris Winters pearls of wisdom are invaluable, based on the science of sleep medicine and his years of clinical experience. He provides detailed descriptions of all child sleep problems and offers concrete solutions and parental action plans for the more than 40 percent of our children who will experience a sleep disorder (and the 70 percent of college students who are sleep-deprived walking zombies). This insightful sleep doctors instructions will inform and reassure every parent who has any concern about their childs sleep from in utero through graduate school and beyond. He tells us how good sleep can be accurately measured and how it will improve immunity, mood, cognitive functioning, academic performance, athleticism, safety, general well-being, and life span. Dr. Winters writing style is extremely fluid, warm, and empathetic. His treatment instructions are clear and effective, and his sense of humor, while dealing with a serious topic, is hilarious and will keep you wide awake.
Dr. James B. Maas, Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow, former professor and chair of psychology at Cornell University, and coauthor of Sleep for Success! and Sleep to Win!
I so enjoyed this book. I found myself laughing out loud and nodding, and for this pediatric sleep doc whos been the field for fifteen years, it was joyfully eye-opening!
Lewis J. Kass, MD, medical director, Pediatric Sleep Disorders Center at Norwalk Hospital
With a unique approach, Dr. Christopher Winter manages to make the important topic of children and sleep engaging. A must-read for parents who want to understand and improve their childrens sleep health and the important role they play. I highly recommend this book. I know I couldnt put it down!
Suzy Giordano, coauthor of Twelve Hours Sleep at Twelve Weeks Old and The Baby Sleep Solution
Sleep is as important to health as breathing and eating, and yet sleep problems are often mysterious to parents and pediatricians alike. In Chris Winters insightful and funny new book, The Rested Child, he provides a terrific overview of the many ways sleep can go wrong for children, as well as a road map for how to help them.
Craig Canapari, MD, director, Yale Pediatric Sleep Center, and author of Its Never Too Late to Sleep Train
Absorbing, immensely informative, and highly readable for concerned parents. Five stars for the bedside manner that Chris Winter brings to The Rested Child, a vitally important book for the well-being of our children.
A. Roger Ekirch, author of At Days Close: Night in Times Past
As a journalist and mom of three, I have benefited both professionally and personally from the incredible knowledge of Dr. Winter. He has a unique way of making the science of sleep easy to understand and fun to learn! Plus hes a father who has treated high-caliber athletes (including the American mother) so he has the practical experience to provide real solutions that can change your life. Dr. Winter helped me create healthy family sleep habits that have lasted for yearsIm overjoyed that so many more parents can share in his strategy and get a good nights sleep!
Jenna Lee, journalist and founder of SmartHER News
An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
penguinrandomhouse.com
Copyright 2021 by CNSM Consulting LLC.
Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Winter, W. Chris, author.
Title: The rested child: why your tired, wired, or irritable child may have a sleep disorderand how to help / W. Chris Winter, MD.
Description: New York: Avery, Penguin Random House LLC, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021010991 (print) | LCCN 2021010992 (ebook) | ISBN 9780593330074 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780593330098 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Sleep disorders in children. | Child rearing.
Classification: LCC RJ506.S55 W56 2021 (print) | LCC RJ506.S55 (ebook) | DDC 618.92/8498dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021010991
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021010992
Cover design: Nellys Liang
Cover image: Ibom / Shutterstock
Book design by Jessica Shatan, adapted for ebook by Maggie Hunt
Neither the publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book.
pid_prh_5.7.1_c0_r0
This book is dedicated to the many kids Ive had the privilege to treat over the years, and to Maeve, Tyce, and Camthe three sleepyheads I had the fortune to wake up every morning.
Contents
Preface
As I write The Rested Child, COVID-19 continues to wage war on communities around the globe. It is a stressful time, particularly for kids. My clinic schedule is packed with patients with sleep issues, often fueled by their anxieties. This is particularly true for young people who thrive on social interaction, exercise, and routines. The lack of organized, predictable activities wreaks havoc on their sleep, which makes them even more anxious. In addition, they are also staying up late to play video games with their friends and to Zoom with the West Coast family. For my patients who suffer from excessive sleepiness, they are struggling in very different ways. The absence of a normally unrelenting schedule allows them the freedom to make their own rules and schedules, sleep more, and sleep more often. As life begins to move back to normal, these kids are finding it difficult to readjust to normal schedules. For most, sleep is complicated in normal times, let alone during a global pandemic.
When I wrote my first book, The Sleep SolutionWhy Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It, I quickly realized that I did not have room to cover kids and their sleep problems. I wrestled with this. How can I put a book out there about sleep that does not address anyone not legally able to buy beer? I see children in my sleep clinic all the time. In fact, about 15 to 20 percent of my patients are children, including college-aged students who float between the youth and adult worlds. As I considered adding a chapter about children, I simply could not edit down all the things I wanted to talk about, so I began a new file called KidSleep and quickly filled it with the fascinating observations and researched complexities of sleep in children and teens.