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Why does my baby cry in their sleep? | Baby & toddler articles & support
In this article we explore different reasons for why babies sometimes cry in their sleep and some different methods of soothing them.
It can be really upsetting to see your baby cry in their sleep, but often it’s entirely normal. So it’s useful to know how babies actually sleep, why they sometimes seem to be disturbed during their shut-eye, and what can you do to help.
How babies sleep
As you’ve probably noticed, babies don’t sleep in the same way as children or adults. Not only do they sleep for longer overall, and in shorter bursts (particularly newborns), their sleep patterns are also different (BASIS, 2018). The main difference is that they spend more time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep than adults (Barry, 2021).
REM sleep is when your baby is dreaming, it’s also known as light sleep. You might notice their eyes moving behind their eyelids. They might also jerk or twitch, and their breathing may become irregular (Leigh, 2016). They may appear unsettled, but these sorts of movements are just part and parcel of your baby going through their natural sleep cycle.
During light sleep, the brain works hard processing new memories, filing away information and matching it with other similar experiences (Barry, 2021). With so many new experiences to absorb, it’s no wonder babies can sometimes get overwhelmed.
The six stages
REM sleep, or light sleep, is just one of six stages your baby goes through each and every day. You probably recognise them. The others are deep sleep, drowsy, calm alert, fussy alert and crying (Leigh, 2016).
If your baby cries out in their sleep, they might just be letting you know they’re passing from one stage to the next. Often, they will simply settle back down again, but sometimes the change makes them wake up.
What should I do if my baby cries in their sleep?
If your baby cries during the night, before picking them up to comfort them, try leaving them for a moment or two.
See if they are able to drift back into more restful sleep on their own.
Your baby might just have a lot of brain development going on as they progress mentally. Strange as it sounds, these mental leaps can make your baby more unsettled for a while, and cause crying and sleep regression (Rijt and Plooijt, 2017).
If the cry is more urgent and they seem unable to settle, they might be too hot or too cold. Or they might need a feed or have a cold and wet nappy.
As your baby grows you’ll be able to better pinpoint what’s happening. But as with all parts of parenting, the learning curve is steep. Whatever it is, try to keep the disturbance to a minimum, and the atmosphere peaceful and calm. This way your baby will get used to the idea that night-time is for sleeping.
In most cases, occasional crying in their sleep is entirely normal and nothing to worry about. But if you are worried about persistent crying in longer bursts, remember you can contact your GP or health visitor.
This page was last reviewed in November 2021
Further information
Our support line offers practical and emotional support with feeding your baby and general enquiries for parents, members and volunteers: 0300 330 0700.
You might find attending one of our Early Days groups helpful as they give you the opportunity to explore different approaches to important parenting issues with a qualified group leader and other new parents in your area.
Make friends with other parents-to-be and new parents in your local area for support and friendship by seeing what NCT activities are happening nearby.
Watch our coping with crying film.
The Purple Crying website looks in detail at the stage in your baby’s life when they cry more than at any other time.
Understanding childhood also have a range of resources available online and to download, developed by child psychotherapists, including a leaflet on crying.
There’s also useful information on the NHS website.
The NSPCC helpline provides help and support to thousands of parents and families.
The Lullaby Trust has lots of useful information and support for parents about safe sleep.
What’s normal and how to soothe them
When a baby begins crying in their sleep, caregivers may worry that something is wrong. However, in most cases, for babies, crying while asleep is a phase rather than a sign of a serious problem.
For many caregivers, sleep-related issues are among the biggest challenges during the baby and toddler years. Sleep problems are common, affecting at least 30 percent of children.
In this article, we look at the reasons why a baby might cry in their sleep, how to soothe them, and the normal sleep cycles that people can expect at different ages.
Share on PinterestIt is common for young babies to make noises during sleep, including crying.
Newborns and young babies may grunt, cry, or scream in their sleep.
Very young children’s bodies have not yet mastered the challenges of a regular sleep cycle, so it is common for them to wake frequently or make strange sounds in their sleep.
For very young babies, crying is their main form of communication. It makes sense, then, that babies cry often and might also cry in their sleep.
As long as a baby does not have additional concerning symptoms, such as other signs of illness or pain, this is developmentally normal, and not a sign that something is wrong.
As babies develop more ways to express themselves, crying while asleep may be a sign that they are having a nightmare or night terror. Toddlers and older babies who cry while asleep, especially while moving in bed or making other sounds, may be having night terrors.
Nightmares occur during light sleep, or random eye movement sleep. Night terrors, on the other hand, occur when a child becomes very agitated during the deeper phases of sleep. Children are more likely to cry from night terrors early in the night.
Night terrors are relatively rare and usually occur in children aged between 4 and 12 years old, though people have reported possible night terrors in babies as young as 18 months old.
Night terrors may be more likely to occur if a child is sick or sleep-deprived.
When a baby briefly cries out in their sleep, they often settle on their own. Picking them up may wake them up, disrupting their sleep.
If the crying continues, try talking softly to the baby or rubbing their back or stomach. This can help shift them into a different stage of sleep and help them stop crying.
Breastfed babies who nurse in their sleep may find comfort from nursing. Caregivers should decide whether or not the baby is likely to awaken from nursing and assess whether they are willing to risk waking the baby.
It can also be helpful to simply observe the baby’s sleep pattern. Some babies let out a soft cry as they fall deeply into sleep, or immediately before waking. Identifying the baby’s typical sleep pattern can help caregivers assess the cause of crying.
Some babies might cry in their sleep when they are sick or teething, but pain that causes crying will usually wake the baby.
Caregivers can talk to a pediatrician about how to ease the baby’s pain.
Although we do not yet know when nightmares start, a caregiver who thinks that they hear their baby having a nightmare can soothe them by talking calmly to them or rubbing their back. Babies who are still breastfed may also find comfort from nursing.
If a baby wakes up after having had a nightmare, comfort them and follow a soothing sleep ritual to get them back to sleep. Older babies and toddlers may need reassurance that the nightmare was not real.
Share on PinterestA person should speak to a doctor about a child experiencing a sudden change in sleep patterns.
Caregivers should talk to a doctor about nighttime crying and other sleep issues when:
- a child cries out in pain
- a child’s sleep habits suddenly change
- a child’s sleep problems last for several nights and interfere with the ability of the child or caregiver to function
- feeding difficulties, such as a bad latch, not getting enough breast milk, or concerns with a formula sensitivity, interfere with sleep
There is no single normal sleep pattern in babies and young children.
Sleep patterns change rapidly over the first 3 years of life, with lots of variation between individual children. The amount of sleep crying will also change over time.
Babies have shorter sleep cycles than adults and spend more time in light sleep, meaning that there are more chances for them to cry, grunt, or make other noises in their sleep.
Cultural and family norms can also affect sleep expectations. With the advice of a healthcare professional, caregivers can choose sleep strategies that work for them, their culture, and the needs and personality of their baby.
This section discusses average sleep patterns for babies of different ages. However, there is a lot of variation, and if a baby has a different sleep pattern from those given below, there is often no cause for concern.
Newborns (0–1 month)
Sleep is unpredictable in the first month, often punctuated by brief waking periods followed by naps and longer stretches of sleep. Some babies seem to have confused night and day.
Sleep crying is common.
Babies typically wake every 2–3 hours, and sometimes even more often, to eat.
Exposing a baby to natural daylight and establishing a routine may help regulate their sleep patterns. For most babies of this age, however, a regular sleep schedule or long periods of sleep at night are unlikely.
Older newborns (1–3 months)
Newborns aged 1–3 months are still adjusting to life outside the womb. Some begin to develop a regular sleep schedule, though sleeping through the night is unlikely.
At this age, babies often cry out in their sleep or wake up crying if they are hungry. Sleep sessions typically last 3.5 hours or under.
Infants (3–7 months)
Share on PinterestBabies aged 3–7 months may develop a regular sleep schedule.
Between 3 and 7 months, some babies begin sleeping longer stretches or sleeping through the night. There is still considerable variation between babies.
Some babies also experience a sleep regression around 4 months that changes their sleep pattern.
Later in this period, many babies develop a sleep schedule of two daily naps and a longer period of sleep at night. Establishing a daily routine and a nighttime sleep routine can help.
Infants (7–12 months)
Most babies will sleep through the night by the time they are 9 months old. At around a year old, some babies drop down to just one nap per day. Others may need two naps per day well into their second year of life.
Toddlers (12 months and older)
Toddlers need 12–14 hours of sleep per day, divided between their nap and nighttime sleep. Most drop down to a single daily nap by 18 months of age.
Toddlers may experience occasional shifts in their sleep habits when something disrupts their routine, they are sick, or they go through a major developmental shift. This may include more crying than usual.
A child who routinely sleeps through the night, for example, may wake at 3 a.m. ready to play for a few nights.
Sleep can be challenging, especially in the early months and years.
Every baby is unique and has their own set of needs and tendencies.
Caregivers can find ways to work with a baby’s temperament to maximize sleep, soothe crying, and ensure that the baby feels safe and comfortable at night.
In most cases, crying out in sleep is not dangerous or a sign of a serious problem. Sooner or later, almost all babies do it, and eventually, all babies sleep.
The baby is crying, but I can’t wake up
The baby is crying, but I don’t…
Remove
#1
#2
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#4
Now the child has grown up, he crawls to our sofa when necessary.
#5
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#7
╧5 A freaks who leave their children are not a decree for us!
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#10
And in Muslim countries even strange old people are taken home, and in some states there is not a single orphanage, such is moral education based on religion. Pogolovny instinct among Muslims?:)) No, of course.
And the fact that we all wake up at the first rustle at night is because we ourselves are light sleepers, because we are responsible for the sleep of a person who cannot yet take care of himself. Then, when the children grow up, we sleep more soundly.
There are a lot of articles available that describe the change in the hormonal background and the depth of sleep in a woman, preparing her for lactation, so as not to fall from fatigue from her legs. The man’s sleep is not deep. and if you wake him up, then sleep for the rest of the night will be superficial. and in a few months his fatigue threatens with more sad consequences of a breakdown in health. than in women.
This is all explained by the physical processes of the organism. Not psychic.
But to blame the author for being “not home without instinct” is at least unreasonable. So her body and her brain work like that, which refuses to wake up with noise, even when she became a mother.
#11
have proven long ago that there is no maternal instinct,
***************
links to authoritative sources?
#12
especially frightening that animal reflexes are attributed to human brain activity, shaming, although the person is not to blame.
Many raise their children without loving, well, that didn’t happen to them, love is not given together with childbirth, and is not inherited. many families exist only out of duty and affection. It is not good. of course, both mother and child suffer, but it is not the mother’s fault that she does not feel anything, although she tries very hard.
and the fact that she is fast asleep has nothing to do with instincts at all, this is a matter of brain function and it is different for everyone.
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#23
In general, I think that for the first six months, and even a year, a child should not be left alone to sleep in a room, the so-called “nursery”. The first month is generally desirable for the baby to sleep with his mother. I put the crib right next to our bed and woke up from every rustle.
It is necessary to control the sleep of a baby, especially a small one.
Either buy a radio tank, or accustom the baby SPTI all night
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#27
pronya
It’s strange, that your maternal instinct has not awakened? It’s just that before the birth of my son I had the same heroic dream, but after the birth of my son I hear every sound in a dream, every swarming.
After all, especially in the first months of a child’s life, anything can happen at night, he can burp and choke on vomit.
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pronya
Is it strange that your maternal instinct has not awakened? It’s just that before the birth of my son I had the same heroic dream, but after the birth of my son I hear every sound in a dream, every swarming. After all, especially in the first months of a child’s life, anything can happen at night, he can burp and choke on vomit.
#31
, Pronia.
There is no maternal instinct in humans. That’s bullshit. Every year, children are left in orphanages in large numbers, this is a problem of education. not animal instincts. And it does not apply to the threshold of perception of sounds in a dream. I think the author guesses what can happen in a dream with a child, and therefore asks a question about help.
#31
Horchelina
10 03/05/2009 13:19:23 | [2940555051]
long ago proved that there is no maternal instinct,
***************
links to authoritative sources?
#32
pronya
Is it strange that your maternal instinct has not awakened? It’s just that before the birth of my son I had the same heroic dream, but after the birth of my son I hear every sound in a dream, every swarming.
After all, especially in the first months of a child’s life, anything can happen at night, he can burp and choke on vomit.
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#35
Prone
Is it strange, do you have a mother instinct? It’s just that before the birth of my son I had the same heroic dream, but after the birth of my son I hear every sound in a dream, every swarming. After all, especially in the first months of a child’s life, anything can happen at night, he can burp and choke on vomit.
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A teenager constantly wants to sleep: what to do and how to fix it Why do they have so little energy and is this normal? Do they really need a “quiet hour”? Let’s figure it out together with the somnologist Alexander Kalinkin.
Question. Son (teenager) constantly – even during the day – wants to sleep. He comes from school, goes to bed, then stays awake for several hours, does his homework and goes back to bed. Why is this happening?
Answer. The duration of sleep changes dramatically with age. Newborns sleep 14-17 hours, and by adulthood we sleep 7-9 hours. For teenagers, long daytime sleep is no longer characteristic and is not the norm.
Modern society is subject to chronic sleep deprivation. In 2018, we conducted a study at the Medical Research and Education Center of Moscow State University and found that 40.9% of young people from 20 to 35 years old often notice excessive daytime sleepiness. This is not the usual desire to sleep that occurs during the day in any person, but a serious sleep defect that can lead to unplanned falling asleep. Teenagers are also prone to chronic sleep deprivation.
The average duration of human sleep over the past hundred years has decreased from 8 to 6 hours, and in some metropolitan areas it is already less than 6 hours (with the required number of 7-9). Many teenagers really do not have enough time to sleep, they themselves do not notice that they do not get enough sleep due to homework, study and other activities.
Lack of sleep for one hour from your norm worsens your well-being: drowsiness, headache, fatigue and irritability appear. Because of this, cardiovascular and endocrine diseases, immune disorders can develop.