In education theory the effect of stress on learning is known as the “affective filter”, but it’s essentially just Fight/Flight/Freeze.
“The body and the brain respond to stress with a complex cascade of hormones and neurotransmitters. When a child’s senses perceive danger, their hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system releases steroid hormones (glucocorticoids). This includes the primary stress hormone, cortisol, which has a direct effect on the heart, lungs, circulation, metabolism, immune system and skin. The HPA also stimulates the release of catecholamine neurotransmitters like dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine (adrenaline), which activates the amygdala, which in turn triggers a fearful response. The brain then releases neuropeptide S, which increases alertness and feelings of anxiety. Together, the HPA system will keep a child’s stimulated and ready to run. But while this may be good for truly life or death situations, this stress response makes learning difficult, as the stimulated senses are not those associated with deep learning. Think about it this way: would you be able to memorize the times tables when you were being chased by a bear? Of course not.” (source)
Neither can your baby learn to sleep, or “self soothe” (a term which is confusing in itself as it is interchangeably used in the context of baby sleep to mean either, “go to sleep from a calm state without adult support or a sleep association”, or “calm themselves down from a state of distress”) when they are in a fight/flight/freeze state.
Their brain has shut down all the thinking centers (which are pretty immature anyway), the memory centers, and control.
The only part of the conscious brain that is working is the ability to signal for help. Babies, by nature of the fact that they are immobile and highly vulnerable automatically signal for help, since they can’t run or fight. If help doesn’t come, they “freeze”, shutting down their bodily functions and going into a state of energy conservation similar to a possum playing dead.
There is absolutely no way that a baby who is crying is “learning” to “self soothe”, “sleep” or “be independent”.
If they stop crying and look like they are sleeping it is not because they have “learned to self soothe”, it’s because they have entered the energy conservation stage. Learning, just doesn’t work that way.
So is there such thing as “sleep learning” or gentle techniques that can be used to help any baby “learn” to sleep independently?
No.
There are simply babies for whom being expected to settle themselves to sleep is a realistic ask – within their zone of proximal development. And babies for whom being expected to settle themselves to sleep is unrealistic – outside of their zone of proximal development and therefore in the “affective filter” zone.
The good news is that if you pay attention to your baby, rather than the marketing spin on any any sleep book/website/consultant’s advertising, you’ll quickly establish if the technique you are using is actually “gentle” for YOUR baby.
Originally published HERE.
Nicole Gorring is a single mama to her beautiful boy C who was born in 2012. Before motherhood, Nicole had always followed the expected path. Not anymore. You can read more from Nicole at Integrity Calling: a blog about birth, parenting, and generally challenging social norms.
