Is it normal for newborns to be sleepy?

Generally speaking, newborn babies basically sleep every day except for feeding, which makes many parents very worried. In fact, it is normal for newborns to be sleepy. Newborns need to get enough sleep every day, which is beneficial to their body growth. However, parents also need to observe their babies carefully. Sometimes, baby's sleepiness may be a problem with their health and they need to go to the hospital for examination and treatment in time.

How to recognize sleepiness in babies

1. Drowsiness caused by fever

The baby's fever reaction varies from person to person. Some will be more excited and have trouble sleeping, some will become drowsy, and some will become drowsy first and then have a fever. A common cold will not cause drowsiness. However, there are also cases where colds and fevers are accompanied by drowsiness, but energy is restored once the fever subsides. Common serious infections, such as sepsis, especially infections of the central nervous system, if there is drowsiness in the early stages, which then develops into coma, followed by convulsions, hemiplegia and other neurological symptoms, should be diagnosed and treated immediately to prevent serious development.

2. Symptoms of hypoglycemia

Early hypoglycemia will show symptoms of drowsiness. Babies often do not eat at night and are sleepy in the early morning. Some will be accompanied by low body temperature, cold sweats, pale complexion, and later develop into coma and convulsions. Newborns show symptoms such as lethargy, drowsiness, and difficulty feeding.

3. Lethargy caused by encephalitis and meningitis

In the spring and autumn when viral encephalitis is prevalent, or in areas where Japanese encephalitis is prevalent in the summer, if your baby has a high fever followed by drowsiness and vomiting, you should be alert and take your baby to the hospital for a cerebrospinal fluid test. In severe cases, drowsiness may cause lesions, and the patient may gradually fall into a coma, followed by symptoms of the nervous system such as convulsions and paralysis.

4. Drowsiness caused by side effects of medication

Some medicines contain sedative ingredients, such as some antidiarrhea mixtures, medicines for colds and fevers, cough suppressants, anti-allergic drugs, and anti-vertigo drugs, etc. Babies will become drowsy after taking them. If the doctor explains that the medicine may cause drowsiness, then don't worry, the symptoms will be relieved when the medicine is stopped.

Is it better for babies to sleep longer?

Sleep is a normal physiological instinct of human beings. Sufficient sleep helps the baby's growth and development. And the younger the age, the longer the sleep time. It is true that babies sleep much longer than adults, especially newborns, who sleep most of the day and only wake up when they are hungry, wet, cold or otherwise disturbed. However, since sleeping patterns and habits are genetically predisposed, babies' sleep needs vary from person to person.

Newborns sleep a lot: their brains are not fully developed yet, and adequate sleep is one of the prerequisites for ensuring the health of newborns and infants. Newborns under one month old sleep 21-22 hours a day and are awake for 2-3 hours. That is, except for feeding, crying, and defecation, they are basically in a sleeping state, and sleep time accounts for 90% of the whole day.

The baby sleeps too long: Parents should also note that the longer the baby sleeps, the better. Sleep status is one of the signs that your baby is sick. If your baby sleeps too long, exceeding the physiological range or usual sleep time, you should pay attention to see if your baby is sick.

The baby's sleep time is too short: In principle, as long as the baby is in a good mental state, has a normal appetite, has no digestive problems, and is gaining weight well, it's fine. But if the deviation is too much, for example, a newborn baby needs to sleep 16 to 18 hours a day, if your baby only sleeps 12 hours, you may need to consult a doctor to monitor his growth and development.