Bermuda Parent Bermuda Parent Spring 2020 | Page 10

Family LIFE
Understanding Your
Child’s Sleep
U
Cycle
ntil about 70 years ago,
scientists believed that as we
drift off to sleep, our brains
and bodies would shutdown and enter
a simple dormant state. What has since
been learned is that sleep is a more
complex and active process than previ-
ously understood.
As we sleep, our brain cycles
through patterns of activity which
can be divided into distinct stages. In
an adult with healthy sleep, as long
as there is no interruption, this cycle
repeats every 90 to 110 minutes until we
awaken. First, there is the non-rapid eye
movement or Non-REM stage, which
can be described as a period of deep
sleep. In adults, this Non-REM stage
can be further divided into 4 phases.
The Non-REM stage is followed by the
shorter rapid eye movement or REM
stage, a period of active sleep which is
characterized by dreaming.
The sleep cycle of infants and young
children up to ages 3 or 4 differs from
that of adults. With quality sleep an
essential factor in early childhood devel-
opment, these differences are important
to note for the conscientious parent.
BY DOROTHY BRADSHAW
Baby Sleep Facts
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BERMUDA PARENT MAGAZINE
Newborns (babies up to 12 months
of age) have a simple sleep cycle,
averaging 45 minutes for the first
nine months of life. The newborn
sleep cycle has only two stages –
active and quiet sleep.
When a newborn first falls asleep,
they enter active sleep (similar to
adults’ REM sleep). During this
stage, newborns are also more
likely to wake up. A newborn will
typically spend about 50% of their
sleep cycle in this stage (as opposed
to an adult spending only 20%).
About halfway through the sleep
cycle, the newborn falls into quiet
sleep. This is characterised by
slower, rhythmic breathing, less
movement and no eyelid flutter-
ing. At the end of the sleep cycle,
the newborn will either wake up or
return to active sleep.
It is not uncommon for newborns,
particularly those still in the 4th
trimester (the first 3 or 4 months
of life) to cat-nap and wake up fre-
quently (45 minutes or less of sleep
time), no matter the time of day or
night. They simply wake up as one
sleep cycle ends.