The normal , full term newborn sleeps approximately 16 to 18 hours per day ( Roffwarg, Muzio, & Dement,1996) The longest continuous sleep period is 2.5 to 4 hours and the pattern of sleep and wakefulness is irregular. At this age, Circadian rhythm is not fully established, therefore, sleep can occur as easily during the daytime hours as during the night.
Sleep states of a newborn
When EEG complexity and sleep stages at week two and five after birth were recorded, Baby’s brain signal complexity revealed developmental changes in sleep in the first 5 weeks of life, and were restricted to NREM (quiet) and REM (Active) ( Wielek et al., 2019).
- REM ( Rapid eye movement sleep) : In this stage of sleep we can observe rapid movement of eyelids. The patterns of waves produced in the brain are similar to waves seen during wakefulness. This is also a stage when babies get vivid dreams and is associated with the paralysis of most of the voluntary muscles of the body. This stage of sleep is very important in newborns as it plays an important role in learning and memory and they spend half of their sleeping time in REM sleep (Suchecki, Tiba, & Machado, 2012 qtd in ‘States of Consciousness’. chapter 4)
- Non – REM sleep : In this type of sleep there are 4 stages :
- Stage 1: In this stage baby eyes droop, they open and close dozing
- Stage 2: In this stage baby moves and jumps with sounds
- Stage 3: In this stage baby is quiet and does not move
- Stage 4: In this stage baby is in very deep sleep.
Sleep challenges in newborns:
Significant disruption to the newborn’s sleep can lead to negative impact on the baby
Newborns generally face sleep challenges due to their still developing sleep cycle.
Some of the sleep challenges in newborns are as follows:
- Dyssomnia is the problem in which the child has trouble either falling or staying asleep at night, or experience excessive sleepiness during the day (Mindell, 1999 )
- Startle reflex: The startle reflex, is a normal part of newborn development which occurs in them as a response to sudden movements, loud noise or any change in their environments.
- Sleep regression : This is a period when sleep patterns in newborns worsen temporarily as part of their developmental milestone which can be challenging for the newborn baby.
How to make your newborn sleep better:
- Establish a consistent sleep environment that is calm, safe and quiet for your baby.
- Understand that newborn sleep cycles are shorter and establish proper bedtime routine.
- Focus on creating a soothing environment, establishing a consistent routine, and being flexible as your baby’s sleep needs evolve.
- Be patient with nighttime awakenings, and with time sleep pattern of babies become more predictable.