Apr 29 2008
“Sleeping Like a Baby”
This timeworn phrase is reinforced whenever we behold a baby in deep, relaxed sleep. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could sleep like that?
Well, not exactly.
During the first three months of life, a baby’s sleeping patterns are quite different from those she will experience the rest of her life. A newborn sleeps anywhere from twelve to eighteen hours every day, but this is not unbroken slumber. Her small stomach capacity and her round-the-clock need for nutrients to fuel her rapid growth essentially guarantee that her life will consist of ongoing three- or four-hour cycles of feeding, wakefulness, and sleep. Like it or not, two or three feedings will be on the nighttime agenda for the first several weeks.
Furthermore, the patterns of brain activity during sleep are unique in a newborn. All of us experience cycles of two different types of sleep—rapid eye movement, or REM, and non-REM—throughout the night. During REM sleep, the brain is active with dreams, manifested by movements of the eyes and frequently other body parts as well. We may twitch, roll, or thrash, and we may be more easily awakened if the bed is cold, the bladder full, or the environment noisy. Non- REM sleep, during which little, if any, dreaming takes place, passes through phases of light, deep, and very deep sleep. There is less movement, deeper and slower breathing, and increasing relaxation of muscles when we pass through these stages in repeated cycles throughout the night. Adults spend about one- fourth of their sleep time in REM sleep and the rest in non-REM.
Babies also manifest these types of sleep but spend equal time in each, alternating about every thirty minutes. During non-REM, or quiet, sleep they will appear very relaxed, breathing regularly, and moving very little. During REM or active sleep, they seem to come to life, moving arms and legs, changing facial expressions, breathing less regularly, and perhaps making a variety of sounds. They may be experiencing their first dreams during these periods.
Adults and children older than about three months pass through the increasing depths of non-REM sleep before they enter a REM phase. But newborns reverse this pattern, starting with a period of REM sleep before moving into non- REM stages. As a result, the new baby who has just fallen asleep may be easily awakened for twenty minutes or more, until she moves into her non-REM phases.
This accounts for those character-building situations for some parents in which they feel they are dealing with a little time bomb with a short fuse. A fed, dry, and apparently tired baby fusses and resists but finally succumbs to sleep after prolonged cuddling and rocking. But when placed ever so gently into the cradle or crib, she suddenly startles and sounds off like a fire alarm. The cycle repeats over and over until everyone, baby included, is thoroughly exhausted and frustrated. The problem is that this baby isn’t getting past her initial REM phase and happens to be one who is easily aroused out of it. If all else fails, the problem usually will resolve itself by the age of three months, when she shifts gears and enters non-REM sleep first.
Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
“Sleeping Like a Baby”
- Safe Sleep: Reducing the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
- What about sleeping through the night?
- Where should your baby sleep?
- A Newborn’s Behavior Patterns
- A new baby's skin Care
- Other people in your baby's life
- Milestones and Memories
- Crybabies: What Happens When The Tears Won’t Stop? Part 2
- Crybabies: What Happens When The Tears Won’t Stop? Part 1
- Bathing Your Baby
