Does the sleeping routine of the newborn keep you puzzling? Do you get troubling in adjusting to the daily routine of your baby? Do you wonder that your little one is sleeping too much or too little? You much are confused with this ample number of questions in your mind!!
Newborn babies sleep is a great deal. While the sleep pattern for a baby may not gel with the sleep pattern of his or her parents, there is not any cause for alarm if the infant sleeps through most of the night and sleeps during the day time too.
In this article, you will get to know how much sleep does your newborn need and when to worry about newborn sleeping (R) too much?
How Much Sleep Does Your Newborn need?
As per the National Sleep Foundation recommended that the newborn should get at about 14-17 hours of sleep in a day. This timescale varies widely, and some newborns may only sleep for 11 hours while others will sleep for up to 19 hours per day. Newborns may sleep more or less than usual when they are sick or experience a disruption routine.
Most babies do not begin sleeping through the night for about six to eight hours without waking until about 3 months of age, or until they weigh 12 to 13 pounds. About two-thirds of babies are able to sleep through the night on a regular basis by the age of 6 months.
Babies also have different sleep cycles than adults. Babies spend much less time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (which is dream time sleep) and the cycles are shorter. The chats are the usual nighttime and daytime sleep requirements for newborns through age 2 years old.
The newborns do not have an internal biological clock or circadian rhythm so that their sleep patterns are not related to the daylight and nighttime cycles. The sleep pattern is as follows-
| Age | Total sleep hours | Total hours of nighttime sleep | Total hours of daytime sleep |
| Newborn | 16 hours | 8 to 9 | 8 |
| 1 month | 15.5 hours | 8 to 9 | 7 |
| 3 months | 15 hours | 9 to 10 | 4 to 5 |
| 6 months | 14 hours | 10 | 4 |
| 9 months | 14 hours | 11 | 3 |
| 1 year | 14 hours | 11 | 3 |
| 1.5 years | 13.5 hours | 11 | 2.5 |
| 2 years | 13 hours | 11 | 2 |
Reasons The New Born Sleep So Much:
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There are no particular reasons for the newborn sleeping so much, but here are a few reasons for it-
- The growth hormones are secreted by the help of the pituitary gland at a much faster rate while babies sleep. One of the reasons for newborn sleeping a lot the fact that the baby is still adjusting to a new environment, and experiencing a rapid bit of growth at the same time. This demands the baby to sleep a lot. A lot of sleep for babies early on is a good thing for their proper development.
- The reason for newborn sleep is due to the pattern developed in the womb. A fetus uses 90-95% of their free-time snoozing. It’s even been found that around months seven and eight of gestation a fetus’s sleep a lot.
- The sleep cycle begins around the seventh month of gestation when a fetus’s brain goes back and forth between REM (a period of activity for the brain) and non-REM a period of rest for the brain sleep every 25 to 35 minutes.
- The older babies are often offered more opportunities to engage in stimulating play, a newborn’s environment that typically lends itself to frequent sleep. As the baby eats and sleep cycle, get frequently being held to sleep more for the baby.
[Read: Ferber Sleep Method For Toddler]
When To Worry About Newborn Sleeping Too Much?
Only a doctor can diagnose the reason why a newborn is sleeping too much for sure whenever you get a doubt. In many cases, a pediatrician can be able to assess real problem about baby sleeping too much suddenly.
Excess sleep in a newborn is not typically an emergency unless the baby or the newborn shows any signs of respiratory problems. The other reasons are as follows-
- the baby is gasping for air or wheezing
- the baby is breathing is very loud
- the baby’s nostrils flare when they breathe
- the skin around the baby’s ribs sinks in when they breathe
- the baby has a fever
- you think the baby may have inhaled, touched, or eaten something toxic
It is common to worry about a baby’s sleep. This concern often helps to detect problems early and encourages the parents to seek expert advice. The mothers who are worried that a baby may be sleeping too much should talk to a pediatrician.
Newborn sleeping too much is not that big area of a matter of concern but still if you get any doubt do refer to the doctor. Hope this article has provided you good information about why do baby sleep so much.
