This sporadic sleep is because they have not gone through the process of entrainment that syncs the circadian rhythm with the light-dark cycle. The sleep of newborns is sporadic, and they will cycle through periods of sleep and feeding (and the not-so-fun stuff like pooping and crying) over a 24-hour period. Circadian Rhythm DevelopmentĪs anybody with children knows, babies do not sleep in a long block once a day like us adults do - which is precisely why parents’ sleep suffers! In fact, babies spend twice as long in REM sleep than adults. While the exact functions of REM sleep are not decisively known, it is thought to play a role in memory consolidation babies have a greater need for this due to the sheer amount of new experiences, environments, and people they are exposed to.īabies and young children spend more time in both deep NREM-3 sleep (the restorative, rejuvenating sleep that allows us to wake feeling refreshed) and REM sleep than adults. Yes - due to the significant mental and cognitive development babies and young children undergo, they have a greater REM sleep requirement. What About REM Sleep? Does This Change With Age Too? The adult sleep cycle lasts anywhere between 90-120 minutes, and this milestone is usually reached by age five.Toddlers and very young children have a sleep cycle that lasts approximately 60 minutes.In infants, this increases to 50 minutes.Newborns have a sleep cycle that lasts approximately 40 minutes.How Our Sleep Cycles Change With Ageīabies and young children have a much shorter sleep cycle than adults: Studies show a positive correlation between infant sleep and memory, language, executive function, and overall cognitive development.įor more on children’s sleep, see our guide A Parent’s Guide to Children’s Sleep.Īs we age, there are significant changes to our sleep architecture - the way our sleep is structured in terms of the different stages that make up our overall sleep cycle. This difference is down to the physical and mental development of babies and young children.įrom the moment a baby is born, it undergoes constant and rapid change, growing both physically and cognitively.
There’s a stark difference between the number of hours of sleep required by babies and children and the number of hours needed by adults. Why Do Babies and Children Need More Sleep Than Adults? Unfortunately for most of us, this gene mutation is rare, meaning unless you are getting the recommended seven to nine hours, it’s likely you’re not getting enough sleep. While many adults consistently operate on only six or seven hours of sleep each night, the recommended number of hours for optimal sleep is 7-9 hours once we reach adulthood.Ī mutation has been discovered in the gene DEC2 (that controls levels of a hormone that helps regulate wakefulness called orexin) that allows people with it to function normally on only four to six hours of sleep each night. The recommendations in the table below are from The National Sleep Foundation-convened expert panel who evaluated scientific literature on the subject, and consensus recommendations by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society (SRS). Sleep requirements drop throughout childhood, with 8-10 hours recommended for teenagers. The range of sleep hours required for children is much larger, with newborns needing 14-17 hours. The expert consensus from The National Sleep Foundation, The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and the Sleep Research Society is that adults aged 18-65 require 7-9 hours of sleep, and seniors aged 65+ require 7-8 hours.
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