Why do babies fight sleep?
[mme_highlight] Spontaneous waking up in babies or their resistance to be put to bed is considered as fighting sleep. Studies have reported that about 30% of infants fight sleep. A consistent bedtime routine helps the babies to calm down and relax before sleeping. [mme_highlight]
Studies have shown that there are striking changes during the first postnatal months of life in the duration of the maximum continuous period of sleep. The two most common problems associated with a child’s sleep in the early years of life are the difficulty in putting the baby to sleep and the waking up of the baby in the night.
Research studies have reported that standard norms for infant sleep or wake patterns during the first two years of life include an increase in the length of maximum sleep from about 4-5 to 8-10 hours by 4 months of age. The total duration of sleep in 24 hours is 13 to 15 hours, decreasing slightly during the first two years. Reports suggest that only 20% to 30% of infants wake regularly at night during the second year.
What is the normal sleep pattern of infants?
Studies reported that there is a relatively small decrease in the total amount of sleep per day with increase in age in babies. In the first week, infants have equal amount of sleep during the day and night which in the sixteenth week of life tends to change, with double the amount of sleep at night as compared to the daytime sleeping. The sleeping period is generally longer at night. Infants younger than 3 months old slept on average to 5-12 hours a day, whereas those over 9 months slept 13-14 hours per day.
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Average sleeping duration among newborns
(Source: study including 75 full term newborn babies)
– first day of life: 17 hours
– second day of life: 16.5 hours
– third day of life: 16.2 hours.
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Duration of continous sleep
– < 3 months of age: 35% of infants showed continuous sleep for at least 6 hours
– 9-12 months: 72% of infants showed continuous sleep for at least 6 hours
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Why do babies fight sleep?
Studies have reported that about 30% of infants fight sleep. 83% of the validation sample in a study has shown sleep resistance due to reasons such as accidents or illness in the family, separation anxiety from the mother, depressed mood of the mother and maternal attitude of ambivalence towards the child.
In fact, there are many physiological and developmental reasons which can influence the waking and sleeping patterns of babies. Spontaneous waking up in babies or their resistance to be put to bed is considered as fighting sleep. Below are some of the commonest reasons:
Active sleep
Most of the time, babies wake up and cry as soon as they are put down because they were in the light REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and not fully asleep. After an initial 20 minutes of REM sleep, babies enter the deep sleep, when a transition in their sleeping place can be made. In later months, some babies can enter the deep sleep directly bypassing the light REM sleep. Soon parents will learn to recognize the stage of their baby’s sleep.
Shorter sleep cycles
Another reason is that babies have shorter sleep cycles than adults. Within one hour of deep sleep, a baby makes a transition to the phase of light sleep and if there is any upsetting or uncomfortable stimulus (such as hunger) at this time, the baby will wake up and cry. If the baby is not disturbed, then she/he will reenter the deep sleep phase. This sleep cycle is longer in adults lasting for an average of 90 minutes while in the sleep cycle of infants it lasts for about 50 to 60 minutes. Babies seem to fight sleep because they experience this vulnerable period of night waking around every hour or even less.
Sleep rhythms
Babies do not sleep as deeply as adults. They take much longer to fall asleep, with more vulnerable periods of light sleep and on top of this they have twice as much active or light sleep as adults.
Development of the brain
Sleep researchers believe that brain develops during active or light REM sleep. The blood flow to the brain almost doubles during REM sleep. During this active sleep, the production of nerve proteins increases in the brain. In fact, premature babies spend almost 90% of their time in active sleep to accelerate their brain growth.
An overtired baby
A baby who is resisting sleep or is not ready to go to bed may be actually overtired. A cranky or hyperactive baby is generally a common sign of overtiredness.
Still resisting sleep
Even though it is known that babies achieve sleep maturity sometimes in the second half of the first year, some babies still fight sleep. There may be many reasons for this such as painful stimuli (cold or teething pain). Major developmental milestones (like sitting, crawling, walking) can drive babies to practice their newly achieved skill. Separation anxiety and nightmares are also reasons for a baby to fight sleep.
What to do?
There are many daily routine practices which can be inculcated in your day to day life to ensure that your baby goes to sleep easily and sleeps peacefully.
After you have nursed and rocked your baby to sleep, make sure that she/he has transitioned from the light or active sleep to deep sleep (indicated by regular and shallow breaths, completely relaxed muscles and weightlessly dangling arms and limbs) before putting him in his crib or bed.
Know your baby’s sleep stages. While in the light sleep, comfort your baby by patting his back, singing a soothing lullaby, nurse him through close physical contact or simply staying next to him.
Follow a bed time routine religiously. Follow a relaxing routine such as oil massage, warm bath, brushing teeth, reading a book, singing and prayer. A consistent bedtime routine helps the babies to calm down and relax before sleeping.
Studies have also recommended a program involving promotion of infant self –settling by the use of a controlled crying technique, together with wrapping, cessation of night feeds and establishment of day time routine to help babies of 8-12 months to sleep.
Breastfeeding and sleep fighting
It has been studied that the fact that whether an infant was still nursing or had been weaned is strongly related with baby fighting sleep. Breastfeeding babies sleep in shorter bouts than their weaned counterparts and overall slept less.
Co-sleeping and sleep fighting
Babies sleeping with their mothers showed a strong association with sleep or wake patterns. Those infants who slept with their mothers slept in shorter bouts than those who slept alone. But the babies who slept with their mother reached out for their mother’s breast, suckled and went back to sleeping.
Summary and Recommendations
- Spontaneous waking up in babies or their resistance to be put to bed is considered as fighting sleep.
- Studies have reported that about 30% of infants fight sleep.
- Babies have shorter sleep cycles than those of the adults; as babies experience a transition from light to deep sleep every 60 minutes, they can wake up and cry if there is any a stimulus or discomfort in this period.
- Other reasons for a baby to fight sleep can be: separation anxiety, nightmares, achievement of major milestones, painful stimuli or ambivalent attitude from the mother.
- The most important tips to improve sleep in babies is to have a knowledge of your baby’s sleep patterns and provide relaxed as well as strict bedtime routines.
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References
- Infant Sleep Patterns: From Birth to 16 Weeks of Age. (1964). The Journal of Pediatrics, 576-582.
- Ball, H. L. (2003). Breastfeeding, Bed sharing and Infant Sleep. Birth: Issues in Pre Natal Care, 181-188.
- Elias, M. F. (1986). Sleep/Wake Patterns of Infants in the First Two Years of Life. Pediatrics, 77, 322-329.
- Leeson, R. e. (1994). Management of Infant Sleep Problems in a Residential Unit. Child:Health, Care and Development, 89-100.
- Lozoff, B. e. (1984). Sleep Problems Seen in Pediatric Practice. Pediatrics.
- Michelsson, K. e. (1990). Crying, feeding and Sleeping Patterns in 1 to 12 Month Old Infants. Child:Health, Care and Development, 99-111.
- Parmelee, A. H. (1961). Sleep Patterns of the Newborn. The Journal of Pediatrics, 241-250.
- Sears. (2013). Baby Fighting Sleep. Retrieved from The Sleep Sense Program.
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