Sheryl Grassie
Sheryl is a writer with a long-time passion for holistic health and good sleep hygiene. She writes on topics related to nutrition, diet and lifestyle, and of course good sleep.
Sheryl is a writer with a long-time passion for holistic health and good sleep hygiene. She writes on topics related to nutrition, diet and lifestyle, and of course good sleep.
At Mattress Advisor, you’ll find comprehensive, unbiased reviews on the best mattresses and bedding products and thoroughly researched tips for getting your best sleep.
Sleep regression is when your baby starts waking at night or having a hard time napping after previously sleeping well. But don’t be afraid, sleep regression is a normal process that happens in relation to developmental milestones. It can be challenging and feel like it comes out of the blue, but it is temporary.
There are common sleep regressions that can happen around the ages of 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, and 18 months, but not all children will experience all of these, and some children don’t experience sleep regression at all. Sleep regression can be fairly short lived and last a week or two, or it can be more prolonged and stretch out for five or six weeks. It may also happen before or after the average, for example, the 4-month regression can hit anytime between 2 and 5 months and still be part of a normal developmental process.
Around your baby’s fourth month is the most common time for a sleep regression. They may, out-of-the-blue, stop taking a nap, fight going to sleep, or be up and down all night. This behavior can be an indicator of other physical maladies, and of course, it bears getting your little one checked out if you are really concerned. However, if nothing else seems wrong, it may just be the end of their first developmental period, that of newborn, and the beginning of a new infant phase.
Related: Best crib mattress
When this shift occurs, somewhere around the 4-month mark, there is a period of stepping back before stepping forward, as if to gather momentum. This step back, in the form of regressed sleep, is a natural way of amassing energy for the many changes and tasks that will take place during this next stage, including rolling over, sitting up, and incorporating solid foods.
One of the things that will happen after four months is your baby will solidify a lifelong sleep pattern that will stay in place indefinitely. They will progressively sleep less, but the rhythm of sleep will stay the same from this point on. If you have an early to bed, early to rise baby after the 4-month period, they will likely stay that way into adulthood. The same is true with their patterns of being tired, awake, and asleep.
Another developmental aspect of the 4-month regression is your baby’s change in sleep cycles. Humans have four stages of sleep that cycle throughout the course of the night. These can be split between the first 3 stages of non-REM (rapid eye-movement) sleep and REM sleep.
Everyone has these periods of light and deep sleep that last about 90 minutes and then start over in a continuous cycle. You begin in light sleep, stage 1, progress to stage 2, and then to the deep sleep of stage 3. These periods of sleep focus on repair and restoration of the body. Then you enter into REM sleep, where the focus is on the brain and memory function among other things.
Newborns split their time almost equally between light stage 1 sleep and the deeper REM sleep. At around 4 months, they incorporate the remaining two sleep cycles and begin the full adult rotation through all 4 cycles. When this change is taking place, it can disrupt sleep and cause sleep regression.
Another common sleep regression can happen around the 8-month mark. Sleep patterns can change once again as babies experience a host of new development skills that likely have them spinning. There are new physical competencies taking place like crawling and pulling up to standing that give your baby dramatically increased physical independence. Their bodies are changing and growing at an accelerated rate, and they may be getting their first teeth.
Also, this is a period of rapid brain development, and your baby is now perceiving the world in a much-expanded view, they are understanding new words and concepts, taking in new experiences, and learning to think independently. Some more precocious babies will start to experience separation anxiety around this age, and that too can interfere with sleep. All these tasks require energy that can cause sleep disruption. It usually only lasts a few weeks, but sometimes up to a month or more.
This is a less common time for a sleep regression, but it does happen. Separation anxiety can be high at this point, babies are learning to walk, and talk, and to see the world from an upright vantage point. They are also getting more teeth which can be painful. Their developmental tasks continue at a rapid pace and sleep can be disrupted.
It is common for the sleep challenges to center around naps at this age. Babies may be going down to one nap a day in the coming months, and they may start skipping either their morning or afternoon nap at this point. Try some of the tips below for regulating their sleep, and see if they can’t continue those two-a-day naps for a few months longer.
This one is often described as the hardest of the sleep regressions. First, it is not a guarantee that your child will have issues with sleep at this age, but many do. And, when they do, their newfound level of skill and independence can make them very willful and difficult. They understand the concept of “no,” and can use the word liberally at this age. Pushing back is part of their development, but it can make it hard to intervene and get them on a good sleep schedule.
By this point, they are almost definitely transitioning down to one nap, and you may need to support that change rather than fight for more than one. Also, they naturally need less sleep as they age, so a later bedtime or earlier wake up time may just be a natural part of their growing up. If sleep is challenged overnight practice good sleep hygiene, and see your physician if you need additional help.
What is sleep regression? The term refers to a period of troubled sleep for a young child who has been sleeping well. Sleep regressions are perfectly normal albeit challenging and can occur in tandem with developmental milestones. Most sleep regressions will just have to be weathered, but there are things you can do to mitigate the intensity and help your child sleep better. There are predictable developmental points starting around 4 months that can disrupt sleep. Appreciate that your child is growing and changing, and trouble sleeping can be a normal result.
Comments (0)