Have you seen sleeping children laughing or twitching in their sleep? Why does that happen? Is it because children are dreaming? Of course, that cannot be said. Children can only know if they are dreaming if they tell them about it. What do babies dream about? When do babies start dreaming? Now let’s see more details about babies dreams;
What are the signs of dreaming in babies?
Facial expressions – You may see babies smiling, curling their necks, or making other gestures while they sleep. This may be related to brain activity during REM ( Rapid Eye Movements) sleep. However, it is difficult to say whether these are responses to dreams or spontaneous movements.
Movements – Children sometimes wake up or startle while sleeping. These movements, known as sleep myoclonus, often occur during REM sleep and may be related to brain stimulation rather than dreams.
What do researchers think about babies and dreams?
Rapid eye movements in adults may lead to frequent dreaming during sleep. Rapid Eye Movement sleep may even start before birth. Brain waves close to REM sleep were measured between 25 and 28 weeks in the womb. Babies spend 50% of their sleep in Rapid Eye Movement sleep. Therefore, the researchers say that the babies are only seeing some kind of dream. Other researchers say that babies lack the cognitive ability to develop the kind of abstract thinking required to dream.
What happens in REM sleep? High brain activity occurs in REM sleep, which is similar to wakefulness. Eye movements are rapid and breathing may be irregular. Muscle tone also decreases. Likewise, it is associated with vivid dreams of adults. Therefore, it can be assumed that babies also dream during this period.
What do babies dream about?
The rich visuals and interactions with other characters that adults dream of do not occur when babies dream. Usually, the dreams of the babies are similar to what they experience when they awake. It may be a collection of sensations, whether it is warmth, sucking on the breast, or images of the close-up face. A baby’s brain is not developed enough to dream like the activities of the previous day when an adult sleeps.
Although babies may have some type of dreams during REM sleep, the content and nature of these dreams cannot be verified. Children cannot communicate their dreams and do not have a fully developed sense of self.
Why are babies smiling, laughing, sucking, or twitching in their sleep?
Adults remain stationary during REM sleep. However, babies may experience movements during REM sleep. This may be part of the children’s growth. That’s because the brain creates countless new pathways. They help the baby learn how to use muscles and limbs.
According to the researchers, there is a connection between a baby’s neck twitches during sleep and their ability to hold their heads up. Their research found that once your baby can hold that head up on their own, the number of neck twitches during sleep drops.
Are babies screaming or twitching in their sleep because they are having nightmares?
The baby waving their arms and legs is called a Moro or startle reflex. It is a natural reflex in newborns and gradually disappears between four and six months. Moro reflux occurs because the babies still cannot control their arms and legs. However, the children begin to learn the movements of the hands and feet. They may wake up when those movements occur at night. If the baby screams in their sleep, it may be because they are processing something that happened that day. Sometimes it can be a startle caused by a loud noise. It is not a bad dream.
When do kids start dreaming?
Babies begin to report dreams from an early age. However, it is not clear whether they are referring to dream experiences or what they imagine while falling asleep. According to the researchers, by the age of four or five, children can recall scenes or characters. Studies show that between the ages of five and seven, a child’s dreams resemble those of adults.
It makes developmental sense because dreaming requires fairly high-level cognitive skills. According to researchers, “ A person’s sleeping brain has to create this virtual world and put them in it, which requires a sense of self”. It creates other characters and settings that we interact with. Therefore, it is a complicated task.
Sometimes children dream and sometimes they don’t. However, twitching, giggling, and crying can be part of brain growth that happens even during sleep.
What’s more?
A baby’s brain grows rapidly during the first few months of life. Dreaming plays a role in brain development by processing sensory information and stimulating the brain.
Researchers say REM sleep helps babies process and store memories. However, since the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for long-term memory, is still developing, it is questionable whether children can form memories in the first few months. REM sleep is important for children’s cognitive and emotional development. It may play a part in emotion processing, learning, and early attachment formation. Children are constantly processing new sensory information, and dreaming allows their brains to integrate this stream of sensory stimuli.
Conclusion
Children may experience some sort of dream-like experience during their REM sleep. The content of these dreams is much more different than that of adults. They are more likely to be simple sensory impressions than complex narratives. Likewise, sleep and dreaming help a baby’s cognitive and emotional development. The experience they face in the early months of their lives helps them to integrate a great deal.
The researchers cautioned that children’s sleep movements or facial expressions should not be interpreted as dreaming in the same way that adults dream. The lack of language and the still-developing brain mean we don’t know exactly what babies are about. Some researchers suggest that dreams may involve children gaining experience. Here we have provided more information about babies’ dreams. If you want more details, you can refer to more research papers or visit a pediatrician.
