The newborn's sleep differs from that of an adult in many aspects, both quantitative and qualitative.
In the first few weeks of life an infant sleeps on average 16 hours a day. In this phase, the sleep-wake rhythm is rather irregular and individual; it therefore varies from newborn to newborn and is characterized by a slightly longer wake at night. In fact, during pregnancy, comforted by routine noises, the fetus sleeps when the mother is active; vice versa, it tends to wake up as soon as the pregnant woman relaxes for rest.
According to experts, a newborn should never be in a similar position during sleep; instead, it should be placed supine (upside down) on a surface that is not too soft.
The newborn's sleep is dominated by instinctive motivations, primary drives such as hunger or thirst. The need to take small and frequent meals, deriving from the poor gastric capacity and the massive growth rates, causes the newborn's biological rhythm to oscillate around 3-4 hours, and is well connected to the hunger-satiety cycle. Generally, babies who are breastfed tend to sleep for longer periods than those who are breastfed, which may require frequent breastfeeding, up to 12 per day.
Initially, adapting to these brief periods of sleep can be rather frustrating for new parents, led to hope that the baby will soon learn to sleep longer.
As already mentioned, in this first phase the nutritional needs of the newborn impose a frequent repetition of the sleep-wake cycle; for this reason, many paediatricians advise not to let newborns sleep for too long, interrupting "nap" over 4-5 hours or 3 hours in case of insufficient weight gain. However, it is important that parents adapt to the child respecting their basic needs, without impositions and repressing any "early educational desires".
The sleep of newborns, like that of adults, is composed of different stages in intensity and duration. First of all we need to distinguish a REM phase from a non-REM phase.
Acronym of Rapid Eye Movement, REM is a light sleep phase, full of dreams and characterized by phasic movements of the limbs, face and body, with irregular breathing and heart rate. During sleep, the newborn is found about 50% of the time in this REM phase, while in older children REM sleep is lower (it drops to 15% in the adult).
Non-REM sleep consists of four phases: sleepiness (1), light sleep (2), deep sleep (3) and very deep sleep (4). When a newborn is ready to fall asleep it goes through these four progressing phases, after which it takes the reverse path up to point two and enters the REM sleep stage (1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 3 → 2 → REM). This cycle is repeated several times during rest and implies a certain ease upon awakening in the transition from deep sleep to light sleep.
Sleep of the newborn: some advice
In the first weeks of life, parents can do little to make the baby's sleep more comfortable and regular. The only important foresight is to avoid the prone position (on the stomach) during sleep; in fact, keeping the baby in the supine position (belly up) significantly reduces the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Always for the same reason, it is advisable to let the child sleep in a separate cot, avoiding keeping him in bed with his parents. Of course, in the cradle and in the cot there must be no objects that can interfere with the baby's breathing, such as small toys, pillows, duvets, ropes, laces, sharp or pointed objects. According to some studies, bumpers should also be avoided. The surfaces that are too soft should also be avoided, while any blankets should reach to the chest leaving the baby's head well exposed.
At the first signs of sleep (yawning, crumpling of the eyes, staring at the horizon), the newborn should be put to sleep in his room, in a comfortable environment not too hot (20 ° C), avoiding if possible to make him fall asleep in his arms or in other places before putting it in the cot.
With growth, the sleep-wake rhythm of the newborn-infant tends progressively to synchronize with the external environment, moving towards a more prolonged wake during the day and a more lasting sleep at night. In this sense, the activity of the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus in response to a series of external stimuli is fundamental, first of all the alternation of light / darkness and noise / silence. This physiological process of adaptation can in some way be accelerated and favored by differentiating the atmosphere of nocturnal sleep from that of daytime rest; at night, for example, the child will be allowed to sleep in the dark in a quiet environment; the stimuli will also be reduced during feeding and diaper changes, to be carried out in dimly lit environments, resisting the temptation to play or talk to baby coils. Conversely, during daytime sleep it is good to let the light enter the room and avoid only violent noises.
Even the establishment of a sort of ritual for sleep can favor the acquisition of these rhythms. A background music while the child is about to fall asleep, can help him identify is the right time to indulge in a sleep that will be restorative even for the mother.
