Childhood - Sleep Throughout Life: Sleep Disorders
Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School
Childhood
For an adult to sleep like a baby is not only unrealistic but also undesirable. A newborn may sleep eight times a day, accumulating 18 hours of sleep and spending about half of it in REM sleep. The REM to non-REM cycle is shorter, usually lasting less than an hour.
At about the age of four weeks, a newborn's sleep periods get longer. By six months, infants spend longer and more regular periods in non-REM sleep; most begin sleeping through the night and taking naps in the morning and afternoon. During the preschool years, daytime naps gradually shorten, until by age six most children are awake all day and sleep for about 10 hours a night.
Between age seven and puberty, nocturnal melatonin production is at its lifetime peak, and sleep at this age is deep and restorative. At this age, if a child is sleepy during the day, it's cause for concern.
| Last updated: | January 23, 2007 |
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Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.
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