Understanding Baby Sleep Cycles & Patterns

When do newborns start sleeping longer at night? 

As your child's circadian rhythm and sleep cycles mature (usually between the six to eight-week mark), they will begin to differentiate between night and day. This means, your baby will slowly begin to sleep for longer periods of time without disruption.  

Types of baby sleep cycles 

Newborn babies wake through the night because of their sleep cycles.  

There are 2 types of sleep: 

1. REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, also known as active sleep. 
2. Non-REM sleep, also known as quiet or deep sleep. 

Non-REM sleep is made up of four stages, while there is only one stage of REM sleep. 

Babies make a lot of noise when they are in REM sleep because they do not have REM-sleep paralysis the way adults do. You will notice during the lighter, active REM sleep that your baby may start to move; their eyelids will flicker, their fingers and toes wriggle, they may open and close their eyes and mouth or kick their legs.  

Older babies may even laugh and ‘practice;’ motor skills such as rolling, rocking on all fours, and even sitting. Babies can usually be woken more easily during this lighter sleep, so creating an ideal sleep environment is essential. 

During quiet, deep or non-REM sleep, newborns are still. Their breathing is deep and regular. Babies may be able to sleep through more noise at this time or more difficult to wake during this deeper sleep. 

What are the stages of a baby's sleep cycle? 

Typically, newborn babies will drift through five sleep stages during a sleep cycle. Understanding these sleep cycles will enable you to help your child to get a good night’s sleep. 

• Stage 1: Drowsiness as baby starts to drift off to sleep. 
   
• Stage 2: REM sleep. This is the stage where brain activity peaks. You may see your baby’s eyelids flicker, their eyes move around under closed eyelids, their limbs and face may twitch, or they may kick their legs and open and close their eyes. 
   
• Stage 3: Light sleep, in which breathing becomes more regular and sleep becomes less active. 
   
• Stages 4 and 5: Deep non-REM sleep, where breathing is deep and regular, and your baby becomes more likely to sleep through noise. 

How do I settle my baby between sleep cycles? 

Understanding your child’s sleep cycles will enable you to help settle them. For example, babies will often open their eyes, move around, and make sounds during REM sleep. You might mistake this for them waking up. 

By giving your child space and time to move through their sleep cycles, you reduce the risk of waking them up prematurely. Over time, they will also learn how to self-settle and self-soothe. Our award-winning Swaddle Up™ is designed to encourage this, thanks to its arms-up™ wings. 

Baby sleep cycle length by age 

The amount of sleep a child needs to feel rested depends on their age. Below, we’ve broken down the average amount of sleep a baby needs according to their age.