Why Does My Newborn Sleep So Much?

Length

• Newborn babies sleep an average of 16 hours per day. Some newborns may sleep less, and it is not uncommon for some children to sleep exceed 16 hours of sleep in one day. The main reason a newborn will awake is hunger. They are not yet aware of the difference between night and day, and will only wake if they need something. They will often sleep between 3 to 4 hours at a time in small spurts throughout the day.

Stages

• Newborn babies have stages of sleep similar to adults and older children. During REM or rapid eye movement sleep, they may twitch or make various facial expressions. REM sleep is a stage of sleep that is very light. This stage is also when dreaming occurs. Due to the length of time a newborn spends dreaming, they do spend more time in REM sleep then an adult or older child, Newborn's also have four stages of Non-REM sleep. They go through varying stages, ending in REM sleep. Some babies will awaken many times during their sleep patterns, but after a few months they will be able to stay asleep for longer amounts of time.

Sleepiness Signs

• Newborn babies will show many signs when they are tired. They may become drowsy after a feeding, and many times fall asleep immediately following a feeding. The baby may yawn or rub their eyes. One tell tale sign of tiredness is fussing. If the baby has been fed and changed and is still fussy, they may be tired. Babies may also look away when tired.

Help

• Some newborns may like to be swaddled, while others may like being able to spread out. You will quickly be able to determine what your newborn likes and can then get into a routine to help the baby fall asleep. You can try rocking the newborn, but should avoid having the baby constantly fall asleep in your arms. This may interfere with the child learning to self soothe and lead to the baby being completely dependent on the parent when they awake during the night. You will want to make the baby feel as comfortable as possible to ensure they feel safe and happy in their sleep time environment.

Considerations

• There are times when you may want to contact a doctor in regards to a newborn's sleep pattern. If the child is sleeping for extended periods of time but is always irritable, it may be something you want to bring up to your pediatrician. There are many underlying issues that may need to be addressed before your newborn can maintain a beneficial sleep pattern. If the newborn seems lethargic at any point or very difficult to awake, especially at feeding time, you will also want to bring this up to a physician.