Are you accidentally waking your newborn?
When babies sleep, we expect it to look peaceful — with a body that’s still and relaxed. And sometimes it does! This is called quiet sleep. But other times, newborn sleep looks completely different — filled with movement and noises. This is called active sleep.
If you mistake this active sleep period as your baby being awake and jump in right away, you may accidentally wake your baby!
Why do newborns experience active sleep?
So, why are newborns so noisy when they sleep? Newborns go through two different sleep cycles: quiet sleep and active sleep. Active sleep is similar to REM sleep for adults, but there is one huge difference. For adults, our relaxed muscles are essentially paralyzed during this stage — for young babies, they are not. Instead, babies move around, make noise (like whines, grunts, moans, and cries!), and even open their eyes...all while they’re actually sleeping.
Another reason we see active sleep in newborns is because their bodies and brains are still busy, even when they’re sleeping. Their brain and body are learning vital skills, like digestion. With all of that development happening during sleep, babies can regularly move, make noises, and even occasionally cry out, even though they’re actually asleep! Newborns spend nearly half of their sleep time in active sleep. With newborn sleep cycles lasting about 50 minutes, nearly 25 of those minutes are in active sleep. Active sleep can be why you see your baby is awake from 3:00–6:30 am “fighting the swaddle” or struggling with cries.
Of course, if you are ever concerned about your newborn’s noises, I encourage you to check in with your pediatrician.
So, what do you do when your baby is moving around and making noises at night?
Of course, if your baby needs you, you’ll respond.
But — before responding — simply stop and observe. Take about 30–60 seconds to listen to your baby before you rush to pick them up. This will help determine if your baby is just going through that active sleep or if your baby is actually awake!
Your sleep is vital to the overall well-being of you AND your baby. Here are some tips for how to make your baby’s active sleep less disruptive to you during the night:
- Remind yourself that your baby might still be asleep
- Move the bassinet further away from you
- Set up the sound machine between you and your baby
When do babies outgrow active sleep?
You’ll likely notice that your baby is making much less noise while sleeping after those newborn months have passed. Around the time your baby is 3–5 months old, sleep cycles begin to shift into more adult-like sleep stages. During this change, active sleep begins to decrease. But, even as your little one shifts into more adult-like sleep cycles, you may still see movement. Those adult-like sleep stages typically become much more settled in their sleep around age 5.
In my Newborn Sleep Bundle, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to read your baby’s cues, calm a fussy baby, get longer stretches of sleep at night, and more. I want to hand you the tools and confidence to love the newborn stage.
