Your baby sleeps 90% to 95% of their time in the womb. Examinations of fetal heart rate indicate normal sleep-wake cycles just like those infants experience out of the womb. During REM sleep, their eyes move back and forth just like an adult’s eyes. Adults most often dream during REM cycles. As infants experience REM cycles, many scientists deduce that infants in the womb can dream.
Your Baby’s Sleep Cycles in the Womb
The baby inside of you has periods of sleep and wakefulness in the womb. Although the exact amount of time in each state is shown to have wide variance, your baby will generally alternate between REM and non-REM every 20-40 minutes by the seventh month. Sleep-wake cycles in normal fetuses can be assessed through fetal heart rate or measuring periods of rapid eye movement.
Does My Baby Dream in the Womb?
Adults most often dream during REM cycles. As infants experience REM cycles, many scientists deduce that infants in the womb can dream. In fact, a working hypothesis of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is that SIDS is caused by the infant dreaming of life in the womb, in which they did not need to breathe, so their body stops breathing in sleep. SIDS tends to occur while the infant is sleeping.
So, Does My Baby Sleep in The Womb?
Yes, your baby sleeps in the womb! As you progress in your pregnancy journey, always know that Open Arms Real Choices provides support and care for pregnant women.
