The newborn does not sleep: here are 4 possible reasons

You immediately realize that an adult has recently become a parent. Goggle-eyed, dark circles, sleepy voice… the first few weeks you sleep very little!

In the evening you get so exhausted that you can’t wait to put your head on the pillow and rest. Too bad, however, that the child has no intention of indulging us. His times seem so far away from our routine as adult humans…

Yet he ate, washed, dried, perfumed and changed.

What’s wrong? Why can’t she sleep ?

external stimuli

Babies love to learn . They observe everything around them and want to grab as many things as possible. Therefore sleep becomes a nuisance in their learning journey. Why waste time sleeping?

If you play with the baby before bed, joke, tickle, cuddle, they won’t want this to stop .

Having fun is good, why stop to sleep? A newborn has no schedules, he can sleep when he feels the need and stay awake when he has other interesting things to do.

It’s reasoning makes no sense!

To calm the baby, try reducing the stimulation load by limiting what the baby sees or hears or can touch. Obviously in those moments where the rest of the parents and the family is important.

Or expose him to white noise, i.e. repetitive and constant sounds that can help decrease the state of agitation and promote relaxation.

White noise can be that of the washing machine, the hair dryer… to avoid wasting electricity unnecessarily, you can download apps made specifically to reproduce this type of sound characterized by constant amplitude in all their range of audible frequencies.

Stimuli in circulation

A child’s body reacts to changes in routine or when spending time around people by releasing chemicals into the bloodstream that stimulate the brain .

Some children break down these chemicals quickly, others fail to do so quickly or will struggle to calm down after any kind of excitement.

This condition is also common to adults who may struggle to sleep after doing anaerobic activity in the gym or going dancing late into the night.

circadian rhythm

The light-sensitive internal clock that tells when it’s time to go to bed and when it’s time to wake up doesn’t work before 4 months of age .

This sort of clock, also known as circadian rhythm , influences the rhythms of sleep , physical and mental activities, hunger, body temperature fluctuations  and circulating hormones.

Adopting a routine helps children regulate their body’s sleep-wake rhythm and thus favors bedtime.

Separation anxiety

At about 6 months of age, babies begin to become aware of their feelings and may begin to develop a strong emotional attachment to the person who cares for them most of the time, usually their mother.

When this situation occurs, children find it difficult to fall asleep because they fear that, falling asleep, they will not find the person they always want close when they wake up.

Also in this case it takes time for them to understand that this “fear” is not real and it can therefore happen that after a period of normalization, nocturnal awakenings return or great difficulty falling asleep.

For older children

Sleep is a problem that needs to go away on its own. Sometimes it takes a little time and sometimes it takes longer. But if it lasts too long, it compromises the quality of life and relationships of the whole family (those who sleep little are nervous, anxious, get angry over nothing, …).

In this case it is advisable to investigate the matter and resolve it: my child no longer sleeps at night: what to do?