If you’re wondering what to do, in this article we’ll discuss why your newborn wakes up every hour and what to do to manage these constant awakenings.
Why my newborn wakes up every hour?
Let’s start by saying that it’s not a fixed rule: some newborns always sleep and tend to sleep 10-12 hours straight from the first months of age, but most babies wake up many times during the night, cry, and sleep very little.
So, what can be done in these cases?
In this article, we’ll look at the possible causes of frequent night awakenings in newborns.
To discover many tips and rules to regulate newborns’ sleep, we recommend reading our guide MAMISLEEP, which has already helped more than 15,000 families.
The most common causes related to the baby’s constant awakenings are:
- On-demand breastfeeding
- Agitation caused by the “sense of abandonment”
- The presence of pain or discomfort
- Very prolonged daytime sleep periods
- Growth spurts
On-demand breastfeeding
The World Health Organization recommends exclusive and on-demand breastfeeding for at least the first six months of a baby’s life.
The consequence of breastfeeding is that the baby feeds on breast milk very frequently, even at night.
In these cases, it’s normal for the baby to wake up to feed, following their natural biological rhythm.
Of course, this still influences nighttime sleep and it’s not an influence to be underestimated, as inevitably for many months, the breast will have to be available.
“Physiological” awakenings
It should also be considered that the younger the newborn, the more they will wake up at night: in the very first months of life, it is physiological for the newborn to wake up frequently, even without any apparent reason.
Let’s start with a concept many professionals (and non-professionals) misunderstand: physiological awakenings.
We often hear that “up to three years old, awakenings are physiological.”
Every time we hear this phrase, we facepalm.
Awakenings are physiological at all ages.
Even adults wake up at night, even if just to turn in bed or go to the bathroom.
Simply put, there’s awakening and awakening.
A child who turns and makes a little sound, has a physiological awakening.
A child who screams and cries desperately for 40 minutes, has a physiological awakening.
Are they the same? We’d say no.
Some causes of newborn awakenings
In some cases, frequent night awakenings are caused by the “sense of abandonment” from the mother.
Let’s explain it better: babies wake up and, seeing themselves alone, perceive the separation as painful, so they cry.
The anguish of “separation” appears especially when the little one doesn’t see the mother next to them upon waking, or when they start staying with grandparents or a babysitter, accentuating especially at bedtime.
All children have the emotional need to feel their parents close, so when they wake up and cry, it’s important to hug them and make them feel the closeness of mother and father.
In other cases, constant night awakenings are due to the presence of pain or discomfort (think of the so-called “colic,” very common in babies between two and four months).
In these cases, it’s enough to care for the little one and make sure they’re okay, monitoring body temperature and following the pediatrician’s advice.
Remember that every newborn is a unique individual and the specific causes of awakenings can vary from baby to baby.
What to do to manage awakenings?
Very often, the newborn wakes up every hour at night for a simple physiological reason: continuous prolonged sleep periods during the day.
Usually, especially after feedings, babies tend to fall asleep, and it’s important that parents respect these daytime sleep breaks of newborns.
As the little one gets used to taking fewer “naps” during the day, they will sleep more during the night.
The important thing is that the little one understands the difference between daytime hours and nighttime hours.
This means that, during daytime hours, it’s better to avoid closing the shutters or remaining in total silence.
During the night, the baby will perceive the difference from the day in this way, and will learn to distinguish between the two.
Differences between awakenings and awakenings
Little ones, during the night, wake up frequently due to a physiological change in their brain waves which, changing, consequently also change the natural sleep cycles when they pass from the REM phase to non-REM phases.
When little ones pass from one phase to another, in fact, natural changes occur in their sleep cycle, and it’s precisely during this transition that many newborns wake up at night.
In some cases they scream, in others they cry, often they wake up simply because they’re also hungry.
Children, like adults, wake up during the night even 5-6 times, right during these transition moments.
If it’s true then the vast majority of newborns can sleep even for six continuous hours in the first months of life, after the first six months of life their sleep rhythm changes and their brain waves begin to have a pattern more similar to that of adults.
To speed up the physiological times of the sleep-wake rhythm, parents should try to do less and less during these night awakenings, as the child grows, to help the child calm down without adult help.
What can parents do to improve children’s sleep in the first months of life?
If the newborn wakes up every hour during the night, it’s easy for parents to become discouraged and uncomfortable, especially due to the lack of restful sleep for a very prolonged period.
In these cases, it can be useful to adopt some measures that help relax the little one and make them sleep more serenely, primarily giving the baby a bath close to the last evening feeding, before putting them to sleep.
Children love routines: pleasant rituals, especially if performed before sleeping, are very comforting for the little one and help them establish automatic patterns that induce and improve sleep.
A relaxing bath, a soft light and a relaxed atmosphere in the crib, a back massage and a soft pajama can help the little one fall asleep and sleep for many consecutive hours.
Breastfeeding can also help: a feeding or a bottle before going to bed is a great way to let the little one know it’s time to go to sleep.
Breastfeeding, moreover, thanks to the contact with the warmth of the mother’s skin, comforts the baby and helps them fall asleep.
We are with you
Let’s remember, in these moments that can also be very difficult, that the best way to help the baby when they struggle to sleep is to be consistent and constant: no structural change will ever happen from day to night.
Real changes require consistency and this is what we teach in our course dedicated to children’s sleep.
We are by your side, if you have questions don’t hesitate to contact us.
SOURCES
Barbeau DY, Weiss MD. Sleep Disturbances in Newborns. Children (Basel). 2017 Oct 20;4(10):90. doi: 10.3390/children4100090. PMID: 29053622; PMCID: PMC5664020.