Why Do Babies Cry in Their Sleep?

Parenting is inevitably a very interesting process of time. You experience so many mystical behaviors and characteristics of your baby-making that you repeatedly fall in love with its cuteness. It gets pretty challenging when you are new to parenting or unable to understand your baby’s recurring moods. A baby has loads of mood swings, and it’s essential to give them sufficient attention to avoid such terrible baby issues, further leading to health problems.

Every parent’s ultimate wish is to get their babies to sleep and chill out for some time. But, unfortunately, it’s not as easy it seems. You might have put your baby to sleep with your smart techniques, but that can’t guarantee your baby not crying in their sleep and eventually waking up. Most of the time, it gets very obnoxious in the atmosphere, increasing your worrying nature behind why your baby is crying.

How Crucial is the Night Sleep for a Baby?

Well! A night of good sleep is very pivotal for a toddler to acquire. It ensures a baby’s excellent well-being and activeness for the rest of the day. Your baby shedding tears during his sleep might disrupt its sleep cycle and adversely impacting its behavior for the next few hours.

If you have noticed your baby crying in sleep for a few days and are curious to know the reason behind this, treat it accordingly. This article will then be worth your sight, helping you surrender your most favorite time of the day for both you and your baby.

Reasons for a Baby Crying In Sleep

It’s pretty difficult to instantly shift towards a final decision while your baby is crying. That’s because they can have genuine issues behind this restlessness. Some of the reasons are enlisted below:

Hunger

Hunger is the most common and prominent reason for your baby crying in his sleep. A young baby requires a complete meal every two to three hours or maybe more, depending on your child’s eating capacity. A feeling of hunger eliminates a dire need for the meal, sending a good message to the brain. Thus, as a result, your baby starts crying subconsciously during his sleep. Hunger not only is the cause of your baby’s tears but can be proved severe if your baby is going to sleep with half stomach every night or inadvertently provided insufficient meal by you.

Improper Cleaning

Another primary reason your baby’s sleep disturbance due to crying is his wet or dirty diaper. Infants have a fast metabolic rate due to the high demand for energy for various body processes. That’s why they excrete their waste too quickly and experience at least 4-12 bowel movements daily. Improper cleaning of your baby’s private parts can cause uneasiness and interface in his sleep leading to loud cries coming from him. You may follow this guide to avoid diaper rashes.

Unbalanced Temperature

A balance in your baby’s internal and external body temperature is necessary for its health and comfort. A prime reason for your baby crying in sleep could be the room getting too cold, giving him shivers, or the room being too hot, and his body starts sweating. A sudden temperature change can be immediately detected by your infant, disturbing his sleep and eventually crying.

Nightmares

According to a recent study by Harvard, babies up to 4 years are more likely to experience different types of pleasures and sorrows in their sleep. You might have noticed your baby suddenly starts crying when you just saw him peacefully smiling in his sleep. It is mainly because night terrors can cause discomfort and anxiety in your baby’s sleep, making him cry. This night terror can result from your baby remembering any terrific experience from the past or listening to the yells or higher pitch voices during sleep.

Sicknesses

This part of your baby health should matter to you the most. You absolutely can’t risk your child catching up any illness at all but, during the growing periods, sickness is most prevalent to occur. Hence it can also be one of the top reasons behind your crying baby in sleep. An increase in temperature (fever), stomach ache, constipation, chills, rashes, etc., all of which can cause an inconvenience in your baby’s sleep, making him cry, and you irritated.

How to Prevent your Baby from Crying in Sleep?

Now that you’ve figured out all the possible reasons spoiling the beautiful nights of your beloved child, it’s essential to know the solutions too. Here are some easy yet useful ways, helping you to achieve a quiet and peaceful sleep for your baby.

• The last meal you’re feeding your baby must be quite heavy than the regular ones. Don’t feed him too early, and keep some mid-night healthy snacks to provide your little one when needed.
• Thoroughly clean your baby’s diaper, and replace it with a new and soft fiber one. Ensure your baby has excreted before sleeping, so now he is good to go for a calm sleep.
• Besides, keep the room temperature between 68-72° Fahrenheit/161.6° Celsius, and keep a check on your baby while sleeping to see if the temperature needs to be adjusted or not.
• Show your baby a cute jolly cartoon or animated video before putting him up to sleep. You can also spend joyous moments by cuddling or making him laugh before its bedtime.
• Get a mandatory regular check on your baby’s health. Note every detail or change in his behavior and immediately take a doctor’s visit if you feel anything suspicious.
• Also, ask for necessary recommendations you can opt for your baby to improve his sleep cycle.

Summing Up

Being a parent, you might have a lot of concerns regarding your baby! You surely don’t have to panic but tackle the situations calmly. Experiencing parenting is indeed a blessing, and you must enjoy every bit of it.

I hope you’ve thoroughly read all the causes of your baby crying in sleep and respective solutions to gift him a more tranquil night. By implementing and taking care of all these points, you will be achieving an extra milestone in taking care of your baby by being an ideal parent.

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs

Is there any particular reason behind my child’s wriggling and grunting while he is asleep?

Young babies are more prone to waking up in between due to grunting or wriggling. That’s because they rapidly achieve their REM (rapid eye movement) which is the main requirement to have a proper, peaceful sleep.

Can my baby cry for no specific reason?

It depends on the situation. Usually, a baby is habitual of crying almost 2-3 hours a day, but it is based on what he wants. Is it the hunger pangs disturbing him or the lack of your attention?

Is there a way I can contemplate my baby is in pain?

Always take care of your newborn baby more than anything, and keep him/her a priority! Observe the following signs to know if your baby is experiencing mild to severe pain:

• Grunting or breath-holding
• Changes in behavior
• Sleep disturbances
• Irritated facial expressions, etc.

Should I let my baby cry before sleep?

If your baby is not willing to sleep at bedtime, it’s better to let him cry for almost 10 to 20 minutes, so he can extract all the anger out and sleep in peace then.

What are the common causes behind your baby crying?

The most prevalent of all causes is the hunger issues experienced by your little one. Other causes include colic pain, dirty diaper, the feeling of thirst, lack of mother’s attention, etc.