Newborn Sleep Cycles

Bringing a new life into the world is a joyous occasion, but it can also be overwhelming, especially when it comes to sleep. From night awakenings to difficulty falling asleep, newborns can present a range of sleep challenges to new parents. Understanding newborn sleep cycles can help you establish healthy sleep habits and get the rest you need.

Fully understanding sleep can be really complicated. That’s why sleep consultants exist!

Babies under 12 weeks cycle through REM [which is an active sleep where they are dreaming, their eyes are moving and their bodies may twitch and jerk] and non-REM sleep  [where their bodies are still and they are hard to wake up]. They spend 20-30 minutes in each phase for a total of a 40-60 minute sleep cycle.

Here’s what you need to know as a parent:

What is the newborn sleep cycle?

A newborn’s sleep cycle is unique. Until around the 4-month mark (when sleep starts to get more “adult-like”, Hello 4 month sleep regression), your baby really only has 2 sleep cycles:

Newborn Sleep Cycle 1: Light (Active) Sleep

During this stage, your baby’s eyes may be closed, but they may still move around and make noises. This is when they are most likely to wake up. You can test this by lifting their arm. It will feel light or they may jerk it back. This is called REM sleep.

Newborn Sleep Cycle 2: Deep (Quiet) Sleep

During this stage, your baby will be very still and quiet. This is when they are most likely to stay asleep if they are moved or hear a noise. You can test this by lifting their arm, and it may feel heavy and drop back down when you release it.

Cycling between both types of sleep

The time spent between the two cycles is about equal: spending about 50% of the time in light or active sleep and the other half in deep or quiet sleep. This is quite different from adult sleep in that we are only in a light sleep state (or REM sleep) for about 20% of the time!

Newborns will spend 20-30 minutes in each phase of sleep, equaling one “cycle” of 40-60 minutes. Most of the parents we work with as us, why does my baby take short naps? This is the reason why! Until they learn to connect cycles, their naps may be short and this is developmentally normal.

How long do newborns sleep?

Newborns need a lot of sleep, but their sleep is often fragmented and unpredictable in the beginning. They may sleep for as little as 30 minutes at a time or as long as 4 hours. In general, newborns need between 16 and 18 hours of sleep per day [with some only needing 14]. This need gets less as they age. A two week old may need 20 hours of sleep, and a 12 week old may only need 15.

How can you help your newborn establish healthy sleep habits?

Establishing healthy sleep habits early on can help your baby get the rest they need and make life easier for you. Here are some tips:

• Create a consistent bedtime routine.
• Put your baby down to sleep when they are drowsy but not yet asleep.
• Use white noise or other soothing sounds to help your baby fall asleep.
• Keep your baby’s sleeping environment dark, quiet, and cool.
• Avoid overstimulating your baby before bedtime.
• Help set up night and day right from the start.

Conclusion

Understanding your newborn’s sleep cycle can help you establish healthy sleep habits and get the rest you need. And it can help give yourself some grace if your baby is having trouble connecting cycles. If you’re looking to learn more- we recommend watching our video series which deep dives into the ins and outs of newborn sleep!