
A newborn’s sleep cycle lasts about 16 hours, and an infant’s sleep cycle is about 12 hours.

Newborns and infants need a lot of sleep in order to grow and develop.

Many variables such as feeding schedules, wake windows, etc…influence the total amount of sleep they will get per day, and not all babies will have the same pattern during their first year. At birth, most infants spend between 40 minutes – 90 minutes asleep at each session during their first year. This is the age where that dreaded four-month regression can start to be noticed. Newborns only have two of these phases, NON-REM and REM, and spend equal amounts in both until about 16wks old when they transition to more mature sleep stages that mimic adults. Your baby is growing while they are sleeping! This is the stage where development growth occurs as our brain is processing and consolidating memories. Your muscles may even feel paralyzed during this cycle. REM (Rapid Eye Movement) is the last sleep phase people cycle through … This can cause movement of eyes, and the eyelids may even flutter. It is best to adjust accordingly with an eat, play, sleep routine and along with their own individual wake windows. Some can be quick adapters, and some will need those extra weeks. Until your baby has learned proper sleep tools for handling nights, waking up again is not uncommon for some of them! This can take some time for them to develop these skills before you see any improvement.
LIGHT VS DEEP SLEEP HOW TO
This stage, also known as “deep” sleep, as it is the most restorative form of sleep where our bodies heal and grow.īabies are still developing their sleep habits, and therefore they are still adjusting and learning how to get into the N3 stage. It is also possible to have some body movements, but it is very hard to come out of this state. Stage 3 (N3) is the last stage, where deep sleep is found. Stage 2 (N2)is the second stage after N1, your brain activity slows down, and your muscles start to relax. Stage 1 (N1) takes place shortly after falling asleep and is short-lived.

It has three tiers that we cycle through. To help you understand this a bit more, we will break down the different sleep stages. This can mean that light sleepers wake up feeling more rested than deep sleepers because they have experienced more periods of dreaming. Some babies spend more time in light sleep before slipping into deeper sleep, and others go from light sleep to deep sleep much more quickly.ĭeep sleepers are defined as those who have their longest periods of deep, restful sleep during the first stages, while light sleepers have more periods of REM or dreaming sleep. We all shift from light sleep to deep sleep and back again several times a night. From Restless Nights to Sweet Dreams – Baby Sleep Success Starts with Deep Learning!Īll babies are both light and deep sleepers, just like us! It is in our biological sleep make-up.
