A newborn does not sleep for 5 hours in a row, what should I do?

Sleep is an integral part of human life, which is a normal physiological process. While in the mother's womb, children develop sleep and wake patterns. After birth, the established regime is maintained, but as the baby grows and develops, other needs arise.

The benefits of the physiological state for children of different ages:

• height;
• filtering experienced moments;
• selection of information and memorization of important events, according to the child;
• restoration of the nervous system;
• emotional attachment and development of perseverance and attentiveness;
• prevention of cardiovascular pathologies;
• strengthening the immune system.

Sleep is essential for a growing child's body. There are special tables that clearly indicate the number of hours per day that a period of proper rest takes.

Newborn babies sleep for several hours and once a day. They wake up to eat and sometimes to empty their bowels.

After birth, babies sleep for 2-3 hours at a time and are awake for no more than 30 minutes. This condition persists for the first 3 months of life.

During this period, adaptation to environmental conditions occurs, babies are overcome by colic, which worsens the child’s sleep and provokes sleepless nights for parents.

• from 3 to 6 months, children sleep for 15-16 hours, of which 3 naps during the day, and one full night;
• by the year the amount of daytime rest is reduced to 2, night rest takes at least 10 hours;
• from 18 to 24 months, the child’s daily routine is rethought, and the total number of hours of sleep is significantly reduced: daytime rest - no more than 2 hours (or 1 hour twice a day), night rest - about 10 hours;
• at the age of 3 to 6 years, the child attends kindergarten, where rest is prescribed once a day for at least 3 hours (at the age of 5 years and older, no more than 2 hours). The number of hours at night is no less than 9 and no more than 11;
• from 7 years old (beginning of schooling) - the sleep norm is from 8 to 10 hours. If desired, daytime naps are practiced on weekends when psychological stress is high, but take no more than 90 minutes.

Children's bodies are individual, and the data given is approximate.

Some children sleep more often than usual, while others are night owls and sleep lovers. However, many parents are concerned about why a child may sleep longer than usual and how to recognize possible pathological abnormalities.

Reasons for children's long sleep

As can be seen from the table, children of different ages have different biological rhythms, and, accordingly, different regimes. But there are generally accepted reasons for children’s long sleep of a physiological and pathological nature.

If the child does not wake up or his hours of rest have increased by more than 5 hours, you should sound the alarm and seek medical help.

Physiological reasons for prolonged sleep in children of early development:

• innate biorhythms;
• baby overeating.

If the baby is cheerful and active while awake, then there is no reason to worry. At an older age, the physiological cause is the child’s individual biorhythms.

There are several more pathological reasons:

• viral and cold infections;
• lethargy due to poor nutrition and lack of necessary nutrients;
• excess body weight;
• diseases of the respiratory system and cardiovascular system;
• endocrine pathologies;
• hormonal changes in adolescents;
• mental stress;
• decreased hemoglobin (anemia);
• hypoglycemia.

Neurological problems or disturbances in the baby’s mental health cannot be ruled out. While awake, children are lethargic.

There is another problem - difficulty falling asleep for a child. There are no less reasons for this phenomenon.

How long should a newborn sleep?

To begin with, it is worth clarifying that when it comes to age-specific sleep standards, all the given values ​​are calculated based on the fact that the child is completely healthy. On average, babies sleep about 20 hours a day in the first days.

But don’t worry too much if the baby sleeps for about 16 hours - this is also considered normal and does not harm the child’s health. Sleep norms for newborns and infants are shown in the table below.

How long should a newborn sleep?

All values ​​in the table are approximate. Only a doctor after an examination can finally determine whether a child’s sleep meets his needs and characteristics of health and development.

Daytime and night sleep - what is more important?

It is impossible to say what is more important for the baby - daytime rest or nighttime rest, because their value is the same. At night, the functioning of the nervous system is primarily restored, and the brain develops. During the daytime, the child receives the necessary rest, since emotional and physical stress does not allow him to stay awake for a long time without sleep breaks.

The baby’s body is not yet strong, so severe fatigue has a negative impact on intellectual development and the formation of physical skills.

How can it be dangerous?

At a young age, prolonged sleep can lead to fatal consequences.

Nutritional deficiency leads to weight loss, stunting of growth and development of the developing organism.

At older ages, personality deformation occurs, and chronic lack of sleep causes delays in the learning process. Children confuse periods of wakefulness and rest, metabolic processes are disrupted and systemic abnormalities develop.

The same thing happens when you lose sleep. The danger lies in the true causes of the pathological illness.

If prolonged drowsiness is associated with the occurrence of infections or colds, the body thus replenishes its strength to resist the pathological process.

When not to worry

Caring parents are interested in when there is no need to sound the alarm, but to let the child sleep.

Babies sleep longer than usual, so if during games they are active and cheerful, then there is no reason to panic.

The same thing happens at younger and school age. Sometimes first-graders, due to their habit of napping during the day, go to bed earlier. This is normal and goes away over time.

Prolonged sleep among schoolchildren and adolescents is associated with hormonal changes. Sometimes teenagers can sleep the whole day, for example on weekends. This is due to overexertion during the week.

There are no reasons for concern if the skin color is normal, there is no nervous tension after sleep and the usual teenage activities.

Attentive parents can pay attention to the desire to sleep during the day. Most likely, this fact is associated with a lack of night rest due to games or romantic relationships.

When to be wary

1. If the child does not wake up for more than 5 hours during the day and 10 hours after night;
2. if during wakefulness there is apathy and loss of appetite;
3. when the color of the skin changes (pallor or jaundice);
4. if an unpleasant odor of acetone appears on your beloved child;
5. with muscle lethargy and lack of desire to fulfill simple requests;
6. if the child complains of pain in the muscular system;
7. if the baby does not gain weight or has stopped developing, he does not hold his head up or sit down in accordance with the infant development chart;
8. refuses food and falls asleep “on the go”;
9. does not wake up to perform natural needs, but urinates on himself even at an older age.

Parents should consider taking medications for their child’s illnesses. So, some herbal or synthetic drugs have a number of side effects, one of which is drowsiness.

To wake up or not

When parents see that the toddler is sleeping more than normal, they begin to worry that he is skipping meals. And here the question arises: should I wake up a child if he sleeps for a long time in order to feed him? If the baby missed one feeding due to sleep, this is still acceptable. Now, if by the second he is still sleeping, you need to wake him up. How exactly to do this will have to be decided by each mother individually. It is important that the moment of awakening occurs during REM sleep. At this time, the baby’s eyelashes begin to twitch slightly, you can see how the pupils move under the eyelids, the baby may twirl or grimace.

And here there are several options on how to behave. Choose the most effective one for your baby.

1. Bring a bottle of formula to the baby's nose or substitute your breast. Most babies will wake up to the delicious smell. To achieve the best effect, you can moisten the sponges with milk.
2. If the room is warm enough, then begin to carefully and slowly undress your little one.
3. If you see that the diaper is full, a good way to wake up your baby is to start changing him.
4. Wipe your child's face with a damp, warm cloth.
5. Massage your toddler's legs and back.

6. If your baby is already able to sit up on his own, you can awaken him by moving him from a lying position to a sitting position.
7. Try lifting your child into an upright position.
8. Start talking to him in a whisper, sing a song.

Do not forget that the lighting in the room should be optimal for perception.

Possible consequences

Prolonged sleep of a pathological nature changes the child’s consciousness, confuses his orientation in time and space, leads to inhibition of metabolic processes and delayed mental development.

However, long-term sleep of a physiological nature brings positive results:

• for example, children who sleep longer than usual are more resistant to stressful situations;
• infants are calmer and more mentally developed;
• Teenagers do not have external signs of puberty - pimples or acne.

Please note that all the data provided is objective and can lead to serious consequences.

If parents are confused by frequent and long periods of rest, it is necessary to contact medical specialists in the field of sleep - somnologists.

How do you know if your child gets enough sleep per day?

If the baby sleeps as much as he needs, then this can be determined by his behavior. He will then be cheerful and active. You can tell if your baby is sleeping enough by watching him.

If a child gets enough hours of sleep, he will:

• eat with appetite;
• fun to play;
• be interested in surrounding objects and toys;
• gain weight steadily;
• behave calmly.

If a child is restless, often capricious, and cries without visible signs, it is quite possible that he is overtired, and parents need to reconsider their sleep and rest schedule.

Sleep is important for all babies, especially those who are small or premature. The task of parents is to create conditions in which the baby can sleep peacefully and comfortably. If a child sleeps little (or, conversely, a lot), a consultation and examination by a pediatrician (or even a neurologist) will not be superfluous.

How to wake up a baby who has been sleeping for a long time

The method of awakening is an important part, especially if the child is worried about pathological causes of the disease.

To wake up a newborn, you should pat him on the back, open or unwind the diaper. Raise your voice a little and say your desire to wake up the baby.

You can blow lightly on your face or massage your feet one at a time.

Another way to wake up a baby is finger games. You can sing a song or hold the baby in your arms.

To eliminate drowsiness syndrome in an older child, you need to properly organize your daily routine.

To wake up easily and quickly, you can resort to well-known “stretches”, nursery rhymes or sayings.

Do not yell at your child, play loud music, or raise your voice.

To wake up a teenager, you can use gadgets, electronic alarm clocks with your favorite song or original work.

Parents should not shout, swear, or throw water on their teenage child.

Family individuals, to whom the child is most inclined, play a special role in awakening. For some, the authority is their mother or father, brother, sister, or even grandparents.

If long-term sleep is due to the individual characteristics of the body, awakening will be more or less easy.

If the reasons lie in the development of pathological conditions, it is necessary to seek qualified help and take the child to the doctor.

How to normalize your child's sleep time

There are a number of complexes that improve sleepy states:

• You should choose the right clothes for sleep. The fabric should be breathable, and the child likes the cut and colors;
• maintain a daily routine and, if necessary, introduce daytime breaks;
• go to bed at the same time, regardless of the day of the week;
• give preference to proper nutrition, do not give chocolates and carbonated drinks before bedtime.

It is important to monitor the health of children, regardless of age, to talk and take an active part in the child’s life.

Prolonged sleep is one of the signs of the development of pathological processes, which is a way to combat the emerging disease. During deep rest, children grow, gain strength and recover.