So, Why do babies cry in their sleep?

Whether you're sleep training your baby or not, seeing your baby cry is heartbreaking. What ever baby sleep method you've chosen because baby won't sleep will always result in baby crying. Because it is their only way of communicating. No matter which process, i.e. Ferber sleep method or cry it out method, they all result in baby crying. 

You just want him/her to be happy when sleeping and of course you wonder if they are sick or uncomfortable. But all he needs is just a bit of comfort, remember he was in your womb for the last 9 months! So, that sense of warmth security is gone. 

So, what can you do it about it mum or dad? Let's give you some background. Babies cry because they haven't learnt the skill to do so and they've been reliant on you as they associate sleep with some of these habits, which I've outlined in a previous blog post. This change in environment or surroundings that now they've got to do it by themselves is kind of a scary thought. But babies are very fast learners and will realist it isn't that bad. If you've put int he right habits and kept to a routine, that is how we slept trained our 4 month old son. 

When babies cry in their sleep is because they are resisting change, so they become frustrated, similar to us as adults we don't like things when things are out of sync of our everyday life. Their cries are just their way of communicating, have you noticed that sometimes when they cry there are no tears and in some instances there are? 

If you're been co sleeping with your child then transitioning them out of your bed will become quite difficult as they are so attached to mom and dad being right there when they want to be comforted. What is interesting is as they fall asleep over time, they will pick up their self soothing techniques. Only they can help themselves to sleep and just realize it is futile by crying it out until mom or dad comes back into the room. 

To reduce the time that babies cry in their sleep is to ensure you've got a strong routine to let your son or daughter know that it is sleep time. So by bathing baby, reading them a book just before bed time will them baby cues that it is now time to sleep.

Once they are about drift off is then the time you place baby to into their cot or bed. They fuss around, rock his head side to side, or suck his thumb. Normally it'll take 5 mins and they will drift off to sleep. Baby will sleep through the night by this consistent routine. Every baby is different, some may take longer than usual, some babies are quicker. They will find their own ways, but you're there to support them. 

However, when i say support is not saying you'll pick him up and rock him to sleep or sitting there with him while he falls asleep. it will take longer for baby to identify their own ways to self sooth and also lack the motivation to do so as they know you are there! Once, they've learnt this skill, babies crying in their sleep will dramatically reduce, helping you to get a better night sleep! 

Mentioned in a previous post, babies bodies are still learning about the circadian rhythm. This rhythm helps us sleep it tells us when to time to hit the pillow and when to wake up, essentially regulating our body clock. So, it can take babies between 3-6 months to develop their rhythm. 

Our son's sleep patterns were quite different from others, his naps would only last 30 mins and in rare instances be an one hour long. The research says for babies to reach REM sleep is about 50 mins, while for us adults it takes about 90 mins. Our sleep cycles are completely different, as we are light sleepers compared to babies because it takes us longer to fully switch off before going into a deep sleep. There are more external factors for us, such as work, family, etc. where as babies are going through growth spurts and developing their skills. 

Well that's why your on this page and seeking the answers on why this is. Well babies brains are developing and so will have shorter sleep cycles. As mentioned earlier, part of the reason is because they are still learning to sleep. 

Believe it or not, majority of time baby sleeping longer is spent in very deep sleep (REM). So, they will spend a lot of energy in their sleep due to brain development and will usually wake up crying. 

So what does this all mean for babies when babies cry in their sleep. 

They just need to learn the skill to sleep for longer duration - see this link if you want to teach your baby to sleep through the night.  

So, as a new parent I've read a lot and done heaps of googling and come to the census that the ideal nap is between 60-90 mins. For me, my son was never in that range, his naps was always between 30-45 mins, which is fine and works for us because during the night sleep he sleeps right through the night. But the importance is that he has his day time naps as this will regulate his sleep times. 

Depending on age the average amount of naps are:

• 3-5 months will have 3 to 4 naps
• 6-9 months will have 2 to 3 naps

Well newborns just nap every 2 or 3 hours, so doesn't really count what the average nap cycle for them. If you've set up a routine and baby knows it, then they'll get use to those nap times out of habit. There is no right or wrong, as long as baby is healthy and getting the same overall amount of sleep per day which is about 12-18 hours per day (dependent on age). 

So losing a few hours there or they sleep longer there, isn't going to change much for baby. 

The good news is that when babies sleep, they continually learn as mentioned In a  previous post their brains are constantly forming new neural connections helping with memory and physical skills too. No different to us as adults when we go down for our nap. Our brains are still active when we sleep, because we dream or our brain is telling our unconscious body to get more comfortable by tossing and turning. 

The brain is also helping them to begin reinforce their leanings before they go down for their nap for example by learning new shapes or picking up key words or different type of voices from their extended family. 

As you know, learning can take up a lot of energy and so when they've had their sleep, the bounce right out of their nap and just want to continue learning new things and exploring the environment.