Understanding your baby's sleep

Sleep stages

Babies go through many different stages during sleep, as well as adults. Drowsiness, light sleep, to dream and deep sleep. And vice versa dreams in light sleep to drowsiness, and so on. Phase of dreams is also called REM sleep. Adults and children achieve an average of 5 cycles of sleep per night.

REM sleep

These sleep stages are visible in the baby long before he comes into the world. Dreams appear during the sixth or seventh month of pregnancy.
You can easily distinguish a sleep filled with dreams of a quiet sleep, without dreams, in your infant. When he dreams, his eyes move in all directions under her eyelids and the rest of the body is motionless, except for a few occasional hiccups, and his breathing is irregular.

Newborns dream more than adults. The REM sleep represents 25% of adults. According to Dr. Richard Ferber, an American expert, fetuses spend 80% of their sleep time in REM, and once born, 50%. This rate drops to 33% at the age of 3 years and 25% between 10 and 14 years. And we think that REM sleep is an important integration experiences. It is therefore important for a growing baby and growing.

Quiet sleep

Phase of quiet sleep, without dreams, your baby is breathing deeply and regularly. It can even heave a sigh. It is almost immobile, and can sometimes make a sucking sound with his mouth or jump. These small sudden movements of the body are known as bursts of hypnagogic and are completely normal. They occur in older children and adults too, often just when we fall asleep. This phase appears quiet sleep fitfully in the newborn rather than regular phase as children or adults. During the first months of life, this phase will become more consistent and bursts disappear.

Why dream is so important

Your baby wakes up naturally between each sleep cycle, probably 5 times a night. It is rare that the change cycle and match your waking cycle change. Can be drawn from a deep sleep or dream. Such a revival is very unpleasant, unlike a soft and natural awakening between each cycle. It can leave us disoriented and "off base" for all the next day, especially when you've been awake dreaming.

How lack of sleep affects us?

Lack of sleep can make you confused, disoriented and irritable. The consequences are felt to work (if your maternity leave is over) but also at home. You may feel anger toward your toddler, making him responsible for your fatigue. The limits of your patience have been greatly exceeded, you get upset more easily. The atmosphere at home can become tense and painful.

Manage the lack of sleep

Studies have shown that if you are deprived of sleep, you will dream more sleep the first opportunity you find. Indeed, research has shown that in case of prolonged sleep deprivation, the subject eventually hallucinating, this is a desperate attempt to dream.

A good way to combat the lack of sleep is to seize every opportunity to catch his sleep (and dreams!) During the day. If possible, make several short naps every day. Brace yourself on the baby naps as soon as possible!