Newborn Sleep Cycles: Learn All About It
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You probably know that newborns need a lot of sleep. Every newborn baby spends very few hours awake during the day, which is mostly during their feeding time. It takes time for new parents to figure out the sleeping patterns because there is no scheduled time for naps. On average, newborn babies sleep for about 8-9 hours during the day, and about 8 hours at night (1). However, this doesn’t happen overnight. Just like they have to be trained for feeding, bathing, and other behaviors, sleep time must be regulated.
Newborns do not know that nights are for sleeping. They usually sleep for about 2-3 hours before waking up to be fed. This is a pattern that is followed during the day and at night. After feeding, your newborn will generally want to go back to sleep. At this stage, playtime is relatively less.
Types Of Sleep Cycles
Newborns have two sleep cycles — active sleep and quiet sleep (2). Let’s look at what these mean and how your baby responds to each of them:
- Active Sleep
Active sleep is a state of newborn sleep when babies move around a lot. It includes rapid, irregular breathing, fluttering eyelids, grunts and cries, and occasional body movements. They even make noises and can be woken up quite quickly.
- Quiet Sleep
The state when newborns are still while sleeping is called quiet sleep. They breathe deeply and are less likely to wake up during sleep.
Newborns go through sleep cycles when they fall asleep, and each sleep cycle includes active and quiet sleep. When your baby wakes up at the end of a sleep cycle, you might have to help them transition into the next sleep cycle.
How Do You Know That Your Baby Is Sleepy?
There are a few signs that a baby manifests when they are ready to sleep. Since newborns need a lot of sleep, you would not want to deprive them of it (3). Here are the signs:
- Rubbing eyes
- Yawning
- Looking away
- Fussing
- Crying
- Shutting eyelids
Not all babies know how to put themselves to sleep. Many parents rock their babies, sing to them, or even suckle them to put them to sleep.
Newborn Sleep Patterns
It is common for new parents to feel like their baby has a disorganized sleep pattern. Sleepless parents wish to have a good 6-8 hours of sleep, which seems impossible with a baby by their side. Here are some of the newborn sleep patterns that most babies follow:
- Irregular Short Span Of Sleep
Newborns, on average, spend about 30 minutes to 4 hours of sleep. This occurs throughout the day in bouts of sleep and is seldom for long periods.
- Awaken Easily
Newborns are light sleepers. If you visit a house with a newborn, you’ll have to tiptoe around the house while the baby is asleep because even the smallest sounds can awaken them. This is because babies usually spend most of their sleep time in the “active sleep” state.
How To Regulate Newborn Sleep Cycles?
One of the biggest struggles of new parents is to regulate their baby’s sleep cycles. Here are a few things you can do to get your baby in sync with the 24-hour day:
1. Include Your Baby In Your Daily Routine
Make sure your baby learns your routine throughout the day. Eventually, your baby will learn to quiet down when you rest during the day and be active when you hustle.
2. Minimize Night-Time Stimulation
An infant needs to be fed at night. But during night time feedings, limit activity, light, and noise. Keep it to the bare minimum, so you don’t have to wake your baby up fully. They will learn that nighttime is for sleep and quiet.
3. Induce Natural Light Patterns
Make your baby aware of the natural light during the day. It helps regulate their sleep cycles. Your baby is likely to sleep early and regularly when you have a ‘lights off by 9 p.m’ rule in the house.
Having a baby changes a lot in your life, and we understand how exhausted, and sleepless new parents get. But with patience and some extra love, you will get through this without a doubt. Share this article with new parents to help them out with their infant!
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