Qilu Evening News Qilu One Point Reporter Han Hongli Correspondent Wu Wei
My baby sleeps and wakes up at night, and sometimes cries twice? Why don't my babies sleep for six months? The baby is 1 year old, and he sleeps for 8-9 hours at night, is it too little? The child sleeps unsteadily, and the old turns over... Many parents always have a bunch of "headaches" about their baby's sleep.
For children, sleep not only plays a vital role in the early development of children's brains, but also promotes physical growth and development, enhances immune function, promotes cognitive development and promotes physical recovery. Infant and young children are the key period for the development of children's sleep circadian rhythms and behavioral habits, and it is also a period of high incidence of sleep problems. Data show that the incidence of sleep problems in children aged 0-5 in mainland China is as high as 20%, affecting the health and growth of children.
What kind of sleep is normal sleep for your baby?
Children's sleep is rhythmic like adults' sleep, and there are two phases, namely non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM) and rapid eye movement sleep (REM). Li Ling, director of the Children's Protection Institute of the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, told the Qilu Evening News Qilu One Point reporter that NREM sleep is also called slow wave sleep, and in infants, it is also called quiet sleep. Manifests as steady breathing, slowed heart rate, decreased blood pressure, decreased body temperature, decreased sensory function throughout the body, decreased muscle tone, and no significant eye movements. REM sleep is also called fast-wave sleep, and in infants it is also called active sleep. During this period, the total metabolism of the whole body decreases, and the tension of the muscles except for the eye muscles and middle ear muscles is almost gone. The normal physiological sleep structure consists of REM and NREM, and the two types of sleep alternate.
However, children's sleep cycles are different from those of adults, and each age stage has its own characteristics.
"For small babies, they go to rem sleep after falling asleep and go into deep sleep after 20 minutes." Li Ling said that within 1 month after birth, the duration of the sleep cycle is 50-60 minutes, and after a sleep cycle, she will wake up to feed and play; after 6 months after birth, the proportion of REM sleep period gradually decreases, and the proportion of quiet sleep gradually increases.
After 6 months of age, it gradually turns to falling asleep from NREM, and after NREM sleep lasts for 80-120 minutes, the first REM sleep occurs, and after a few minutes, it enters the next NREM sleep, forming a cycle cycle of NREM sleep and REM sleep. ReM sleep occurs once every 90 minutes on average, and the closer you get to the later stages of sleep, the duration of REM sleep gradually increases, lasting 10-30 minutes at a time. Throughout sleep, this NREM-REM sleep cycle is repeated 3-5 times. "At the age of 2-6, the structure of sleep is close to that of adults." Li Ling said.
What are the characteristics of sleep development in children of different ages?
1. Baby sleep
In the first year after birth, the daytime sleep of infants varies greatly, from 4 times in small infants to 1 time in the late infant, and the time of sleep each time ranges from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Infants aged 1-2 months can adjust their sleep with changes in light, and 2-3 months of age is the key age for establishing day and night sleep.
"When the baby sleeps, the parents coax, pat or breastfeed the behavior, which will make the baby establish a bad sleep conditioning reflex, affecting the baby to learn to settle down and fall asleep." Li Ling suggested that parents should help babies gradually establish their own sleep and wake rules. 50%-80% of babies can sleep continuously at night at 9 months of age.
2. Toddler sleep
There are individual differences in the time of sleep in young children. The average sleep time of young children is 11-14 hours, 9-10 hours of night sleep, and 2-3 hours of daily sleep. In general, children after the age of 1 still have 2 naps during the day, 1 nap during the day to about 2 years old at the age of 18 months, and about 1/2 of 3-year-old children still have the habit of napping during the day.
"In early childhood, 20%-40% of children have more sleep problems." Li Ling said that the appearance of nocturnal fear may be related to the development of imagination. Separation anxiety in young children can also make it difficult to fall asleep or wake up frequently at night. But young children can already understand the causality of things, so they can correct poor sleep habits by implementing simple behavioral interventions.
3. Preschool children sleep
Li Ling said that at this time, about 90 minutes of sleep cycle has been established, most children are reluctant to take a nap during the day, and 60% of children often wake up at night. The development of imagination and fantasy in preschoolers can increase the incidence of nocturnal fear. Kindergartens or parents should not force children to take a nap to avoid delays in falling asleep at night.
4. Sleep for school-age children
"Children at this age have a relatively stable sleep pattern, with a fixed nighttime sleep time and almost no naps during the day." Li Ling said that learning or family life patterns often affect children's sleep and wakefulness patterns. As autonomy increases, children of this age do not choose to participate in too many activities, such as learning, socializing, sports and family activities, widespread use of media and electronic devices, caffeine intake, etc., which can affect children's sleep. In addition, Li Ling also reminded that if children have abnormal daytime tiredness and drowsiness, they may need to exclude diseases and sleep problems.
How long does it usually take for a child to sleep?
The amount of sleep required varies widely among children of different ages. And at the same age, the needs of different individuals are not the same.
With age, the baby's biological rhythm gradually synchronizes with the circadian rhythm of the outside world, and the circadian sleep rhythm gradually forms. It is manifested by a decrease in the number of sleeps per day, a relative concentration of sleep time at night, a gradual extension of sleep time at night, and a gradual reduction in the time of daytime naps.
According to the "China 0-5 Year Old Children's Sleep Hygiene Guidelines", the sleep time of children of different ages is as follows:
