How many hours a day is normal for a newborn baby to sleep?

Sleep plays an important role in a baby's daily life. The baby's sleep pattern and quality are not only related to the baby's growth and development, but also affect the quality of life of parents and family members. So how many hours a day is normal for a newborn baby to sleep?

How long does your baby sleep each day?

If you want your baby to have a proper sleep pattern, you need to first understand how your baby sleeps. Generally speaking, the amount of sleep a healthy baby needs each day will vary with age, and the sleep time is usually a combination of several intermittent sleeps.

The impact of sleep quality on babies

When babies are sleeping, both their brain and body are growing and developing. You can imagine how important sleep quality is. Babies sleep for a long time throughout the day, and this sleep time can be divided into different cycles:

1. REM sleep cycle (also known as rapid eye movement sleep cycle): At this time, blood flow to the brain increases and brain activity is vigorous, which is beneficial to the growth and development of the central nervous system.

2. Non-REM sleep cycle (also known as slow wave cycle; Non-REM sleep): At this time, the secretion of growth hormone by the pituitary gland will increase, promoting the body's growth and metabolism.

When does your baby start a regular routine?

The natural sleep time of babies will gradually decrease with age. When babies are just born, they sleep and wake up according to their physiological instincts. As they grow older and their retina matures, they can gradually feel the changes in the light around them and the day and night. These changes affect the brain, allowing the baby to develop a biological clock that follows a daily routine, gradually changing to a routine of being awake during the day and sleeping at night. When the baby is about 6 or 7 months old, this biological clock will be more stable, and it will be easier for parents to take care of the baby in accordance with the normal routine.

How to adjust your baby's sleeping pattern

After understanding the physiological effects and development of baby's sleep, it will be easier for us to adjust the sleep pattern according to the baby's physiological characteristics and make it easier for parents to take care of the baby.

First of all, we know that babies aged 1 to 3 months mostly sleep and wake up based on physiological needs, which are nothing more than hunger and comfort. Therefore, by feeding your baby regularly, changing diapers in a timely manner, and maintaining a comfortable sleeping environment, you can predict when your baby will sleep and wake up. Of course, babies at this time cannot fully cooperate with their parents' daily routines, so parents can only work harder to coordinate their baby's routines based on the predicted time.

As the baby grows, a 2-month-old baby can sometimes increase his or her food intake before bedtime, which will help the baby sleep longer at night. In addition, a comfortable sleeping environment includes: a safe crib, enough sleeping space, appropriate indoor temperature, a quiet sleeping environment, soft room colors, etc. These are the basic conditions for a baby to sleep peacefully.

In addition, in order for the baby to truly adapt to the day and night schedule during the development process, dimming the lights when sleeping and creating a sleeping atmosphere at a fixed time are good ways to help the baby fall asleep easily. In addition, not taking too long a nap and increasing the baby's activity in the evening are also very effective tips to help the baby sleep through the night.