Why do newborns twitch in their sleep? Uncomfortable position of a baby in sleep. The influence of sleep phases on the child’s condition

After the birth of a long-awaited baby, some mothers are ready to stand at his crib at night, listening to his breathing and every rustle. Uneven snoring is alarming, and if the baby suddenly jerks its arms, many may panic. Why does a newborn baby shudder in his sleep? Should parents worry? Let’s try to figure it out.

Regarding baby flinching in sleep, there are different opinions. Among grandmothers, it is believed that a newborn is frightened by dreams or that the angels make him laugh. And with medical point In terms of vision, the reason is obvious - the child adapts to the world around him, gets used to new sensations. Just imagine how calm he felt in his mother’s tummy. The light did not blink, the sounds were muffled rather than sharp, the temperature environment – amniotic fluid was constant. So he was born, and it began: calm and security were replaced by unfamiliar smells, harsh light, loud knocks and temperature changes. For the little one passing through birth canal and the change of environment became stressful, so the reaction nervous system there were shudders and chaotic movements of arms and legs.

A newborn shudders in his sleep during the transition from one phase of sleep to another, when deep, restful sleep is replaced by superficial, rapid sleep. At the boundary of the phases, the baby can awaken. This is where rocking the crib, soothing “shhhh” and light strokes come to the rescue.

Common reasons for a baby to flinch include:

A newborn child, like an adult, dreams. And if he doesn’t like the dream, then the reaction may be to move his hands
The “nightmare” of infancy up to 3 months is colic. Immature digestive system The baby also undergoes adaptation to food, the intestines are populated with beneficial microflora. At first, the digestive processes are accompanied by unpleasant sensations and pain in the tummy. Because of colic, the child begins to cry and sharply pulls his legs towards his stomach.
Wet diapers. Even the most modern and advertised brands do not immediately become dry after the baby pees. During sleep in a relaxed state, a wet butt is perceived more sensitively than during wakefulness. Therefore, if a diaper or diaper wets, the baby may flinch
Unexpected sharp sounds can also make the baby flinch. You shouldn’t teach your baby to sleep in complete silence, but you also shouldn’t hammer nails in quiet hours.
Fatigue. The baby may become overtired active games and laughter. The consequence will be disturbing dream where twitching may occur. Therefore, before going to bed, they advise a calm pace of games, reading fairy tales, light massage and bathing with lavender.
Teeth are being cut. Unpleasant sensations and sore gums may cause you to flinch.
Fever after vaccination or illness causes mild twitching at temperatures up to 38ºC. The mother should systematically check the baby’s body temperature, because if it is higher than the established norm, it can cause convulsive muscle contractions.
Prematurity. Restless shuddering is typical for babies born earlier due date. This is caused by the physiological immaturity of the body.
Restless hands. The situation is familiar when a child is sleeping peacefully and suddenly, as if in fright, throws up his arms. A sharp swing can wake up the baby, and old people strongly advise swaddling the baby tightly. Limited freedom during sleep reminds him of the intrauterine state and has a calming effect.

The number of winces decreases by the age of 3 months: colic goes away, the baby wets diapers less often, and premature babies begin to catch up in development with full-term babies. Helping a newborn quickly get used to extrauterine life is the task of parents. Adaptation is painless, and sleep returns to normal if the baby:

When there is cause for concern

Excessive excitability of the newborn, extremely restless sleep and frequent twitching, reminiscent of convulsions, are a signal that consultation with a specialist is necessary. Frequent awakenings with crying, the regularity of convulsive shudders, and causeless twitching of the child’s body should alert the mother. There may be serious reasons behind them:

Epilepsy. The disease in infancy proceeds without significant severe symptoms. Convulsive movements of the limbs may be a signal. IN early age the disease can be cured, this is the value of timely diagnosis
Impaired metabolism when children's body deficiency or surplus of any microelement or vitamin. Muscle spasms and cramps may be symptoms of iron deficiency anemia
A neurological disease - a syndrome of increased nervous excitability. May be a consequence of intracranial birth trauma. The baby does not sleep well, shudders when touched, often burps, and his chin trembles. A properly organized regime will help correct the deviation, massotherapy and a favorable calm atmosphere.
Lack of calcium. This can cause rickets, which can lead to bone bending. Children with rickets experience sweating, drowsiness, lethargy and twitching.
Increased intracranial pressure may appear against the background of brain tumors or head injuries suffered during childbirth.

Diagnose your baby yourself serious illnesses and especially not worth trying to treat them. If tremors in your sleep alarm you, and their number does not decrease, then consultation with a specialist and diagnosis will either remove all suspicions and reassure suspicious parents, or allow you to start treatment in a timely manner. An infant cannot say that it hurts, so his health and future full life depend only on the attentiveness of his mother.

All parents are concerned about the health of their baby. They look especially closely at the child in the first weeks and months after his birth: is everything okay? If the child is the first, then mothers and fathers may not know about some of the features of its development, and sometimes they are surprised or even frightened by the most ordinary phenomena. What most often worries parents of a newborn?

The child's arms and legs are tense all the time. Maybe it’s hypertension and we need to start some kind of treatment?

Yes, this is hypertonicity - increased tone flexor muscles, but this is completely normal phenomenon, which all babies have up to a certain age.

If you look at a newborn, you can see that his arms are bent at all joints, brought to the body and pressed to chest, hands clenched into fists, thumbs the hands lie under the other four. The baby's legs are also bent at the joints and abducted at the hips; dorsiflexion predominates in the feet. Muscle tone in the arms is usually higher than in the legs.

Attentive parents will notice that muscle tone can change, for example, when turning the head to the side, it is higher on the side opposite the head turn. Changing tone in the same muscle group is called muscular dystonia- this is the name of mom and dad often heard at a neurologist’s appointment, but you shouldn’t be scared, this is also a completely common occurrence in babies.

By 3.5-4 months, physiological hypertonicity in children weakens, movements become more coordinated, the hand opens, so-called locomotion develops - body movements in which almost all muscle groups are involved. There is no need to treat physiological hypertension, but you can do a restorative massage, it will promote the development of the muscular system and coordination of movements.

The baby is constantly making some movements, they are very chaotic. Why is this happening?

A newborn baby's nervous system is still immature, which is why he cannot make coordinated movements. Nerve fibers the baby is just beginning to be covered with a special myelin sheath, which is responsible for the speed of transmission nerve impulse to the muscles. The faster the transfer occurs, the smoother the baby’s movements become. In the meantime, the nervous system has not matured, Small child may be in constant motion, which sometimes persists even in sleep.

As a rule, chaotic twitching disappears in the second month of life. Then the movements of the arms and legs gradually become more even and orderly.

The child’s arms, legs, and chin are trembling—maybe he is cold or has some kind of neurological disease?

Shaking, or tremor, is a physiological phenomenon that occurs in most children in the first 3 months of life.

Tremor appears again due to the immaturity of the nervous system. Trembling usually occurs while crying or after some kind of exertion (for example, after swimming), but sometimes it begins quite suddenly, perhaps even at rest. When a child has tremors, the chin usually trembles and underlip, arms and legs may still tremble.

Tremor can be symmetrical (both arms tremble) and asymmetrical, when different parts of the body tremble separately (for example, the chin and arms or one arm and one leg tremble at the same time).

As soon as parents notice that the baby has a tremor (and it may not appear immediately after birth, but even a month later), they are very worried. However, as we have already said, this is normal in young children. However, attention must be paid to following points: physiological tremor does not last long - only a few seconds; if the tremor intensifies, the episodes become more frequent and longer, you need to show the baby to a neurologist.

The baby often shudders and throws his arms to the sides. Is this normal or should I take my child to the doctor?

This is a manifestation of one of the innate reflexes - the so-called Moro reflex (spreading the arms followed by bringing them together). It lasts up to 4-5 months and usually occurs in response to sharp sounds or when changing body position. Parents call this reflex a startle.

Moms and dads notice that if you change the baby’s position in space (for example, lift him out of bed and then put him back down), the baby will throw his arms slightly bent at the elbows up. The same thing can happen with any sharp sound(clap hands, knock on door). Sometimes the Moro reflex occurs spontaneously, that is, the baby throws up his arms without any stimuli. All of these phenomena are completely normal for young children and do not require any treatment.. The only thing you need to watch out for is that the Moro reflex should not become more pronounced; after 4-5 months it should disappear.

The child constantly wants to suck (pacifier, breast, finger). Maybe he's hungry and doesn't have enough milk?

In children under 1 year of age, the sucking reflex is pronounced: in response to any irritation of the lips or tongue, the child makes sucking movements. This is the very first and most important unconditioned reflex: it is the ability to suck (and therefore satisfy hunger) that ensures the baby’s survival. The sucking reflex completely disappears only by 3-4 years.

Even in infants, you can notice a search reflex (it lasts up to 2-4 months): when the corner of the mouth is irritated, the baby turns its head in the direction of irritation; proboscis reflex (it can be observed up to 2-3 months): when tapping on the lips, the child extends his lips with a tube. Before eating, these reflexes appear brighter and are easier to evoke, but in themselves they are not an indicator that the baby is hungry.

The baby spits up a lot, I heard that this could be due to neurological disorders. Is it so?

Regurgitation is a very common complaint in the first months of life. Majority healthy children burp up to 3-5 times a day. For babies, regurgitation is the norm rather than a pathology., since the structure and functioning of the gastrointestinal tract predispose them to regurgitation.

The stomach of newborns is located horizontally, has a round shape and a small volume - only 5-10 ml: this is why a few drops of colostrum are enough for a newly born baby to eat. The entrance to the baby's stomach is relatively wide, and the sphincter (the muscle that closes the entrance to the stomach) is underdeveloped. Therefore, food promotion gastrointestinal tract somewhat slow.

The immaturity of certain enzymes and lack of coordination in the processes of breathing, sucking and swallowing, which are more typical for premature and low birth weight babies, also predispose to regurgitation. Regurgitation may also be associated with overeating, frequent feedings, aerophagia (swallowing air). Yes, they may be a manifestation of some kind neurological pathology, but this happens very rarely, especially if there are no other symptoms of the disease.

The baby often “goggles his eyes.” The doctor said that this was a symptom of Graefe and there was no need to treat it. What is this symptom, and why does it appear in young children?

Graefe's sign in infants is a white stripe that remains between the iris and upper eyelid when the child looks down. Graefe's symptom itself does not indicate that children have any health problems. It is often observed in healthy children when there is a change in lighting or body position, and Graefe’s symptom can also be simply individual feature the structure of the baby’s eyes (children with large eyes often have it).

Sometimes this symptom occurs due to the immaturity of the child’s nervous system. In these cases, Graefe’s symptom does not need to be treated; it usually goes away within the first 6 months of the baby’s life. But if, in addition to Graefe’s symptom, the child has increased excitability, tremors, strabismus, developmental delay, if he often throws his head back - this already indicates that he has neurological problems. For precise setting diagnosis requires a series of additional research: neurosonography, electroencephalography.

A tiny man, barely born, can do practically nothing, his movements are erratic, his hands cannot grab and hold an object, and it seems that the only thing the baby does is eat, sleep and cry. But after a couple of months, he confidently fixes his gaze on the objects and faces around him, can smile back, and also holds his head well. With each month of life, the child comprehends more and more new horizons in his development - all that remains is to patiently wait for this time.

Dmitry Smirnov pediatric neurologist

Discussion

Comment on the article "Newborn: treat or will it go away? 7 questions for a neurologist"

Tell me the child shudders. Medical issues. A child from birth to one year. Care and education of a child up to one year: nutrition, illness. Tell me the child shudders. We are 5 months old and startle very often when he falls asleep. I’m scared myself by her unexpected shudders.

Discussion

I still startle when falling asleep, and managed to infect my husband with this) Check with a neurologist, but don’t worry too much, maybe it’s just a feature of the nervous system.

If you have sleep disorders, it’s better to see a neurologist
My son had hypoxia during childbirth, and we were sent for some kind of sleep study of the brain (that is, the child must sleep during the procedure). Maybe they will direct you to something similar...
We went through all the examinations and found nothing, so for peace of mind you should also examine your child.
Good specialists on Kropotkinskaya gave a referral there from the clinic:

Medical issues. A child from birth to one year. Care and education of a child up to one year: nutrition, illness, development. This has nothing to do with going to the toilet. Her whole body tenses, as if she is very angry. She stretches out her arms and legs and sometimes actually growls when she does.

My son shuddered, plus his leg and sponge shook periodically. Section: -- gatherings (a 7-month-old child shudders and wakes up). Startling when falling asleep. Girls, who knows why a child suddenly, when he starts to fall asleep, shakes his hand or foot?

Shaking legs - is this normal or pathological? A 2.5 month old child shudders. Medical issues. A child from birth to one year. When our children spread their arms and legs in the womb, they rested against the soft walls of the uterus, they remembered this.

Discussion

Relaxing muscular system. Involuntary contractions. It will pass soon.

how to give?
The doctor said to drop it directly into your mouth, but according to the instructions, I look at what you should give in a spoonful of water...
which is correct?
I'm afraid that she won't drink the water in the spoon and will spit out all the water :(

Trembling infant.. Medical issues. A child from birth to one year. Care and education of a child up to one year: nutrition, illness, development. A three-week-old boy sometimes experiences tremors when dressing his arms or legs. Tell me what this could be connected with?

With the birth of a baby, most mothers have questions about why the baby starts to flinch during sleep. Especially in the first months of birth, almost all babies shudder. Most likely, this is due to the restructuring of the body. After all, at birth a child finds himself in a completely different world.

Previously, he felt calm, his mother’s heart beat evenly, but now everything is different. When he sleeps, he feels insecure, lacking loved one and the conditions to which he is accustomed. He also senses the presence of many unusual and unfamiliar sounds and smells.

The importance of your baby's restful sleep

In infancy, children sleep for a long time, especially up to 3 months. Their sleep can last up to 18 hours a day. This is considered normal; at this time, the formation of the nervous system occurs. In sleep, a child develops and grows better. After waking up, he behaves more calmly and is not capricious.

An infant has polyphasic sleep. At fast sleep babies dream, but in deep dreams they don’t. The baby should sleep calmly and soundly, always during the day, only then will he be able to develop correctly and normally.

To do this you need:

be in the fresh air;
feed properly;
keep the room temperature no higher than 22 °C;
be active during the daytime;
limit emotional stress;
bathe the baby before bed in water with decoctions medicinal herbs sedative effect.

Causes

Many reasons have been identified why a baby shudders when he sleeps. Some of them should not particularly worry parents, since they are observed in all infants.

Flatulence

A recently born child is faced with the fact that the muscles of his intestines are underdeveloped, and therefore do not push through incoming food well. During feeding, the baby swallows air along with milk. It begins to put pressure on the intestinal walls and cause pain. The baby pulls up his legs, stretches out, twitches.

Over time, everything should return to normal. The body will adapt to new conditions. The shaking and colic when the baby sleeps will stop.

State of fatigue

Many parents wonder how a child can get tired if he most often lies or sleeps? But we must not forget that with birth the baby learns everything new that surrounds him. He looks at everyone, listens to the sound of voices and different sounds. And his relatives come up, try to talk to him, rattle him with a rattle.

At increased activity the child gets excited, so he doesn’t fall asleep well and will startle more often in his sleep. To eliminate this, you need to talk calmly to the baby, and find quieter places on the street where there are no sharp sounds that frighten the baby.

Dreams I had

A child who receives many different impressions during the day, when he sleeps, dreams. Deep sleep is very short. Therefore, alternation and transition from one phase of sleep to another can cause the child’s body to flinch.

And such dreams, when the baby feels some kind of failure, cause hypnagogic fear. At this time, you may notice that the baby is twitching.

Teething

At about 6 months, the baby's first teeth begin to erupt. Babies may experience anxiety, pain, and may startle in their sleep.

Defecation and urination

While children are still very small, they go to the toilet directly in the diaper. At this time, they have to push, jerk their legs, and parents notice movements and shuddering.

Noises

Many children react to the presence of sharp and sudden sounds by flinching. This could be a noise coming from the street or something falling in the apartment. They get used to ordinary sounds, but not to sharp and new ones.

Hand movements

Newborns are especially afraid of moving their own hands. This happens because they begin to twitch during sleep. Pens better first time to swaddle.

What to do to protect your baby from flinching

When parents observe that their child shudders in his sleep, there is no need to immediately worry or worry about why this is happening. It is enough to gently stroke him, pick him up when he cries, rock him and talk to him in a gentle voice. You can change the child's position. Sometimes it is enough to put him on his tummy, then he will be less afraid of his hands.

At first, it is better to swaddle a newborn; he feels more protected and is not afraid of hands.

Some parents purchase the Vitafon device. It phonates the intestines and gradually strengthens its muscles. There is less gas, and the child sleeps more peacefully.

Reasons to contact a pediatrician

Most often, flinching is safe for the child. It grows and they gradually stop. But there are still reasons that it is advisable to inform your pediatrician about.

Parents should be alert if:

prolonged shuddering occurs, accompanied by trembling;
the child often wakes up and cries at night;
regurgitation occurs like a fountain;
convulsions are observed.

All this needs to be told to the doctor, since such manifestations may be symptoms various diseases. In the first year of a child’s life, you need to be especially attentive to him, respond to his movements, including winces, and report everything to your pediatrician.

The young mother is extremely different light sleeper, listening to every sound and movement of your own child. Sometimes she gets worried if the baby starts to shudder. What is behind this phenomenon? Is there any reason to worry?

Why do children startle in their sleep?

The following can be distinguished:

The baby is dreaming. The dreaming phase alternates with the more deep sleep in babies much more often than in adults;
The baby received a large number of emotions, worries about the day, he could become overly nervous, which was the reason for the appearance of superficial and intermittent sleep.
The baby may be colicky or teething, causing the flinching to be caused by regular pain.

The baby is able to dream from the moment of birth; many experts believe that this natural process begins even in perinatal period. Frequent change phases of sleep can cause the effect of trembling in the baby and twitching during rest at night. Many children are able to wake up during this period of time and this should not be a cause for alarm. The most important thing is that the process of awakening does not repeat more than ten times a night and does not lead to a state of fear in the baby.

Moreover, children and adults can experience a state of fear while falling asleep. It is expressed in a sudden contraction of muscles, especially during a dream in which a person experiences a fall or finds himself underground. Thus, a child's flinching as he falls asleep is not a cause for concern. At the same time, there are often cases when night twitching is a sign of some disease.

What to pay attention to when your baby flinches

Should be considered:

Rhythm of movements;
The frequency of the baby waking up at night;
General state.

The rhythmic twitching may be a seizure. They are similar to the trembling of a person who is very cold. In this case, trembling covers both the entire body and any part of it. When observing this phenomenon in a child at night, an appointment with a neurologist is required to rule out the presence of epilepsy or neurological pathology.

If your newborn baby starts shaking during sleep or constantly wakes up (more than 10 times a night), or shows anxiety, you should consult a doctor. Restless behavior, crying for no reason and shaking during sleep at night can be harbingers of certain diseases, as a result of which parents should be vigilant.

Why does an infant flinch in his sleep (video)

With the advent of a child, life in the house changes dramatically. All the attention of the young mother is focused on the baby. It seems that the only quiet time is the baby's sleep. However, this is not always the case.

When the baby sleeps soundly and sweetly, the mother is also calm. But the calm is disturbed when she notices that the child is shuddering in his sleep. Is it worth panicking so much? To understand this, you need to understand the possible reasons.

From this article you will learn:

Possible reasons:

Overwork. Often, sudden jerks during sleep are caused by overwork and this is not surprising. Every day he sees new objects and hears new sounds. He tries not only to catch them, but also to remember them, to understand whether this or that word is said positively.
Surely you have noticed that when the mother begins to treat the baby affectionately, he smiles. At this moment he understands that mommy loves him and he is happy about it. But, the reason can be not only positive or negative emotions, but also entertainment. You need to remember that you should not play with your baby before bedtime. The result will be severe overexcitation, the consequences of which may be shuddering;
Colic. Next reason so-called colic may occur. This is a fairly common occurrence in most newborns. Digestion is quite weak and can constantly bother the baby, causing him to pull up his legs;
Urination. Often, when urinating, a newborn may shudder in his sleep; this is an absolutely normal phenomenon and there is no reason to worry; Sharp sounds. The most common reason. A newborn's hearing organs are just beginning to adapt, so even a quiet whisper can frighten him;
Touching. During sleep, babies look so “sweet” that every now and then you want to touch and caress them. Even the gentlest touch can frighten or even wake him up.

When a visit to the doctor is really important

If, after observing, you notice that the above reasons do not exist in in this case something else then Please note the following:

Rhythmic shaking. This is a signal that it is time to visit the pediatrician. The problem may be metabolism, leading to cramps. This can also be a signal of various nervous disorders. In this case, a visit to the doctor is simply necessary and should not be postponed to a later period;
Recurring sleep problems. For example, a baby wakes up from such shudders and this happens many times during the night.

As you can see, there are significant reasons that you should not turn a blind eye to. By neglecting specialist advice in this case, you can start a problem that will be much more difficult to solve later. Especially if the reason is related to mental or physical development baby.

Other causes are completely normal and can also occur even in adults, such as flinching from loud sound. In addition, in some cases, the mother may not notice why exactly the child flinched. It is likely that he simply turned over in his sleep and hit the wall of the crib.

Important: newborn babies love to be close and warm. If a child is swaddled or swaddled loosely enough, he may feel uncomfortable and unprotected, causing him to constantly wake up and be capricious. If you notice such a reaction, you should swaddle the baby, but it is important not to overdo it.

No matter what, a young mother should in any case be more attentive. Monitor not only your sleep, but also your wakefulness small miracle. In this case, the child will grow up healthy and cheerful. Isn't this what every loving parent dreams of?