Reasons Why an Infant Cannot Sleep

Getting your newborn baby to sleep for long periods of time, especially at night, is the burden of every new parent. Some babies naturally go to sleep and stay asleep, while others seem to refuse to sleep at all. This can worry new parents as there is an instant assumption that if the baby is not sleeping there must be something wrong. There are several reasons why a baby will not sleep, most of which are perfectly natural.

  1. Sleep Patterns

    • Babies have different sleep patterns than adults. Adults will sleep for around eight hours and will go to bed and wake up at the same time. Babies will not sleep for as long as adults as they switch between deep sleep and light sleep every hour. When a baby is in light sleep they are more likely to wake up due to hunger or being uncomfortable.

    Sleep Cycles

    • Whereas adults sleep at night and are awake during the day, babies also sleep when it is daylight. This means when it gets to night time and you want to go to bed your child may not. There is no way of stopping this and it is a problem for all parents.

    Teething

    • When a child is teething he can be in quite a bit of discomfort. This will lead to him sleeping less due to the pain. This is a natural cycle and should not worry a parent. If you are worried your doctor can recommend light painkillers to help babies through this phase. The old fashioned way of rubbing a little whiskey on the babies gums is not widely used anymore.

    Stimulation

    • When an adult goes to bed she tends to read or watch television for a while before actually falling asleep. This is simply a transfer phase from being awake to being asleep. This idea works for babies as well. Just putting your baby in his cot is no reason for him to fall asleep as he will not understand what the cot is. Try reading or singing to your baby for a while after putting him to bed to encourage sleep.

    Something Wrong?

    • The majority of the time your baby cannot sleep is for perfectly natural reasons. Always be aware of your baby's sleeping habits and consult a doctor if you are alarmed.

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