Newborn Sleep Cycles

What are they, how do they work?

A sleep cycle occurs when there is a progression from active sleep to quiet sleep. All humans have sleep cycles and briefly wake at the end of each sleep cycle. This natural process is there for protection against predators and there has been some new research showing that this can help prevent SIDS in newborn babies.

There are two different stages that newborns go through when completing a sleep cycle, active sleep (REM – Rapid Eye Movement) and quiet sleep (NREM – Non-Rapid Eye Movement).

· Active sleep – during active sleep you may think your newborn is awake or unsettled. Babies can be quite noisy during active sleep and are easily woken.

· Quiet sleep – during this stage, newborns are in a deep sleep. Their breathing is slow and regular, they are not easily woken at this point.

A newborn sleep cycle generally lasts between 40-50 minutes, starting with active sleep for 20-25 minutes followed by quiet sleep for 20-25 minutes.

Newborn babies are unable to link sleep cycles the majority of the time, that's why we usually see short catnaps, which is completely normal. Often though, if we see that baby is still tired/cranky after a short nap, we could try to assist them in resettling to see if they will sleep for another sleep cycle.

*HOT TIP* If you are struggling to settle your baby to sleep for naps, implement a 10 minute wind down routine before their nap, these few minutes of calm can help your baby settle into sleep a little easier.

If you have tried everything and nothing has worked, you may need some extra support. Reach out and we can collaborate a plan, I will be in your corner cheering you on every step of the way to be better sleep.

Lets work together