Why Do Babies Sleep So Much
By: Mark ShowalterTotal Views: 426, Word Count: 486,
Being a parent of a newborn you might wonder that why do babies sleep so much. You might have even gone to the extent of worrying about the irregular sleep schedules of your baby that clash with your sleep pattern. Especially at night, you might often get disturbed as the tiny chap awakens after every two to three hours. In that case, you must be informed that the habit of sleeping throughout the day with intermittent wakefulness after every 2 to 3 hours is quite common among babies and there is no need to worry at all.
The reason behind why do babies sleep so much is that sleep is beneficial for the health and growth of babies. Especially the newborn babies are in the habit of sleeping for almost throughout the day with brief sessions of wakefulness to take in food. You may take a look at the following facts that would answer to your question of why do babies sleep so much?
· You will see that as the baby grows the durations of sleep shorten. It is because when the baby is newly born, it takes time to adjust with the new environment as he or she is more used to in staying inside the mother’s womb for nearly 9 long months.
· Unlike adults the biological clock or circadian rhythm inside the body of the baby is not developed. As the baby grows the brain adjusts and maintains a fixed time schedule for sleeping, eating and performance of other physical activities.
· Sleep is absolutely necessary for young babies as during the time of sleep the brain gets the maximum opportunity to develop. The pituitary gland secretes growth hormones to the maximum level when the baby is fast as sleep. In fact, with in the first few months the size and weight of the baby almost doubles and after which the growth of the baby attains a steady pace as the duration of sleep schedule decreases with the increase of the age of the baby.
Duration of Sleep:
As mentioned above the time period of sleep shortens as the baby grows. New born babies sleep for almost 16 to 19 hours a day with each stretch of sleep extending up to 4 to 5 hours some times even 10 hours. The sleep duration of three or four month old babies reduces to about 13 to 15 hours a day while a toddler of the age of about 1 or 3 sleeps for 10 to 1 hours.
If you are suffering from poor quality sleep as your sleep gets disturbed because of your newly born baby, you may take up a good sleep aid like Melatrol that would help you to have a sound sleep. Since you are a young parent, especially if you are a lactating mother, make sure of consulting a doctor before purchasing a medical sleep aid.
About the Author
Mark Showalter is an expert in treating various types of sleep disorders. He has carried out series of research works that deal with the various mysteries of sleep and its associated disorders. If you find yourself to be too stressed out during the day or suffer from disorders caused by improper sleep, you may take a good medical sleep aid. You must be prudent enough to select the right one for you that would keep you away from any form of harmful side effects
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