Stress, sleep and cortisol

Here at Little Dreams we’re passionate about the benefits of sleep. In addition to the wealth of benefits that sleep brings, for both little ones and their parents, Professor Mike Gradisar B.Sc. (Hons), M.Psyc. (Clin), PhD  (Clinical Psychologist and Professor in Clinical Child Psychology at Flinders University, Australia) has published some fascinating research that may be of significant interest to the mummies and daddies who are considering working with us.

There are a number of articles (which parents talk to us about) which state as fact that babies crying at sleep time causes harm. Professor Gradisar has helpfully brought together all the evidence, and research studies, on the subject.

Whilst at Little Dreams we promote a much gentler approach than the ‘cry it out’ method, as all parents who work with us can testify to, implementing any major changes can cause our little ones to protest.

It’s reassuring, therefore, to know that some crying at sleep time, whilst uncomfortable for us as parents, does not cause an increase in cortisol – contrary to previous research – and won’t cause your little one harm. We at Little Dreams are all parents and so would not be doing the job in the way that we do if we thought that there was any way that it would harm your little one. We are incredibly evidence-based and choose to rely on science rather than opinion. Read the full details of Professor Gradisar’s findings.