States of Arousal

Question 1

What are the states of arousal in infants?

Answer 1

• Regular sleep, 8-9 hours
• Irregular sleep, body activity, irregular breathing, 8-9 hours
• Drowsiness , Varies
• Quiet alertness , 2-3 hours
• Waking activity and crying, 1-4 hours
• More organized over time, there are differences that affect interactions and attitude towards the baby
• Early patterns have implications on early cognitive progress,

Question 2

Why does babies sleep alot?

Answer 2

• Change in arousal patterns are signs of brain development
• Cultural differences and parental needs as well as resources

Question 3

What can you do to promote better sleep at night?

Answer 3

• Afternoon strolls with the baby, get more light

Question 4

States of Arousal - Birth to 2 years

Answer 4

• Need alot of sleep
• Slowly change to adult like 24hour sleep schedule
• General trends
  2-3 month olds respond to darkness and light
  Daytime naps
• 6-9 month; 1-2 daytime naps
• 18 months; 1 nap
• Between 3-6 years, need of naps decreases
• 2 year old - slow decline in total sleep time but still needs alot 12-13 hours, starts aligning with circadian rythm