Sleep deprivation is something every new mom knows about. While you desperately try to snooze when your little treasure sleeps, do you find yourself woken up by the noises and movements they make?
You get up and go check on them, only to find they are thrashing around in their crib, even though they are still sound asleep. Ten minutes later all is peaceful again and the only one awake is you.
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why babies move a lot in their sleep.
Newborn Sleep Patterns
In order to gain a better understanding behind the reasons babies twitch and flail in their sleep, we will explain a newborn’s sleep patterns.
On average, a newborn baby will sleep for most of the day and night; however, they wake every few hours to be fed. As a new parent, you might feel they don’t sleep at all and you are constantly at their beck and call.
There is no set schedule to your little one’s sleep pattern, this was certainly the case with my first child. It seemed that she had day and night completely the wrong way round. Each baby will have its own sleep pattern. Below is a general guideline.
source: pregnantchicken.com
Unfortunately, the hours babies keep don’t match those we would like to have. They generally don’t sleep through the night for any length of time until they reach about three months old. However, for some babies, especially those who weigh a bit more (around 12–13 lbs), this could be earlier.
When babies do start sleeping through the night, it’s usually for about 6-8 hours. Some of you might be very unlucky. You could have a baby who doesn’t have a regular sleep pattern at all for the first year.
The most common reason babes wake every few hours around the clock is because they are hungry. After all, their stomachs are still quite tiny. Feeding every 3 hours or so is quite normal. As your child grows and their diet changes, they should start developing a more regular sleep pattern.
When babies appear restless during sleep, this could still keep you awake. You listen to their movements and sounds and wonder what is wrong.
It’s time to see how babies’ sleep stages could affect the twitching, thrashing or noises they make.
Sleep Stages
source: babysleep101.com
Just like adults, babies go through different depths and stages of sleep. These are:
Quiet Sleep
During periods of quiet sleep, babies have little or no eye movement behind their closed eyelids. They will lie still and quiet, with zero body activity. Their breathing will be regular and slow.
They will likely make no sounds, apart from an occasional, gentle, contented sigh.
Active Sleep
Closed eyes with rapid eye movements characterize this sleep period. The baby’s little arms and legs may twitch and at times they might seem as if they have been startled. Facial expressions, such as smiles or frowns, are also a common occurrence.
Your baby may be sucking in their sleep or making other gentle snorts or noises. Their breathing can also become irregular.
Transitional Sleep
This sleep stage happens between active and quiet sleep, and vice versa. Babies might have periods where they open their eyes and you may see slow eye movements, even though they aren’t awake. Their breathing will be regular.
They might, on occasion, seem to be surprised and move their arms and legs, but in a slower fashion than when in active sleep. Intermittent sucking and an increase in the little noises they make are other signs.
Waking Periods
These are periods in between the previous stages of sleep when your baby wakes briefly. Their eyes will be open and their breathing will be irregular but active. They might also have body and eye movements.
Types of Sleep
As well as the stages there are two different types of sleep:
REM Sleep
Rapid eye movement, or REM, happens during periods when baby is sleeping lightly. This is the period of sleep when we dream. Babies spend about 50 percent of their sleep in the REM stage, newborn babies even more so.
In most older children and adults, muscle paralysis occurs during REM sleep, so physical movements don’t usually accompany the dreams. In babies, this doesn’t happen for the first few months, hence the restlessness.
Non-REM Sleep
This has four stages:
- Stage One: Baby will be drowsy and appear to be dozing, with droopy, open or closed eyes.
- Stage Two: Baby will be sleeping lightly and is easily startled by sounds.
- Stage Three: Baby is in a deep sleep with little movement.
- Stage Four: Baby is in a very deep sleep, doesn’t move and is also quiet.
Throughout their sleep, babies will pass through the various stages several times. They will have quiet periods, as well as phases when they are active and noisy.
Reasons Why Babies Move in Their Sleep
Your little one’s sleep pattern is set while they are still in the womb, during the latter part of your pregnancy. You might already be aware of their sleeping patterns, especially if baby seems to be playing soccer all night. After birth, it takes a few months for sleeping patterns to regulate.
It’s time to find out some of the reasons why baby might be so active when asleep.
Developing Nervous System
Your baby’s nervous system is immature and still developing. At this stage of life, they find it hard to control their body movements and reflexes. This results in them kicking, twitching and punching out when they are asleep.
Sleep Patterns and Cycles
We have covered sleep patterns in some detail above. These are generally the main reasons your baby is moving around so much while asleep. Babies can regularly cross over from being an angelic cherub to a wriggling mass throughout their sleep cycles.
Long Daytime Naps
Having the time to drink a coffee while it’s hot, catching up with the laundry or just chilling out while baby is napping might seem like heaven. However, as babies get older, long daytime naps can mean they don’t settle easily at night.
They could spend quite some time kicking and tossing because they can’t fall into a deep sleep.
Insufficient Sleep
Now, I know we just told you too much sleep can make little one restless, but the opposite is also true. If your baby is overtired, then he or she may be fussy and have disturbed sleep.
They can be fidgety, grouchy or irritable and find it hard to settle into a quiet sleep. The result is a baby who will flail their arms and legs in frustration.
Uncomfortable Baby
When babies are uncomfortable, they are likely to be active while asleep. It’s their way of letting you know something is not quite right.
They might be too hot or too cold. Their clothes might be irritating them, their diaper could need changing or they could be hungry or thirsty. Maybe your baby has colic, is teething, or has a diaper rash.
The problem here can be figuring out what is wrong. It is, literally, a process of elimination in this case.
Is There Anything You Can Do to Prevent Restless Sleep?
You now know some of the reasons why your baby might be restless at night. Are you wondering if there is anything you can do about it? Here are some tips and tricks that might help.
Establish a Bedtime Routine
Following the same routine every night teaches baby to understand the difference between night and day. It helps them move from irregular sleeping patterns to habits that are more similar to yours. There are a few ways to achieve this.
You could use the method of feeding babe, giving them a warm bath and soothing them to sleep. If you are breastfeeding, it might be tempting to rock them to sleep while nursing. However, this could be counterproductive as your little one might associate that with bedtime and expect it every time.
Try and make sure that your little treasure is sleepy but still awake when you lay them down. By doing this, they will learn how to fall asleep naturally on their own.
Swaddling
Wrapping baby up cozy and warm before laying them in their crib might make them feel more secure. Or, if you can’t master the art of swaddling, try using a baby sleeping bag. That said, it doesn’t work for all babies, some may fight to free their arms.
Music
Playing soothing music or singing gently to your baby every night can help them associate the music with sleep time.
Keep the Nursery Dark
Helping baby into a regular sleep pattern can be assisted when they relate light with day and darkness with night. Exposing baby to natural light throughout daytime hours and keeping their nursery dark at night can help.
If your little one wakes during the night, keep lighting low.
Summary
As a new parent, seeing your baby thrash around and make strange noises while asleep is likely to be disturbing. Most of the time, it is nothing to worry about and there is nothing wrong with them.
If you are worried at any point, consult your pediatric physician. They will be able to reassure you, and advise you if there is any reason for concern.
Once babies reach two to three months old, their sleep patterns and restlessness usually settle down. In the meantime, while difficult, remember that the nightly battle your baby has with unseen foes is quite normal.
