Structure of sleep states
Throughout childhood and adolescence there is a change in the proportion of time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep. These changes are illustrated in the table below :
REM sleep as a proportion of total time asleep
- premature infant 80%
- term infant 50%
- 4 year old 33%
- at puberty 25%
- adulthood 20%
Often a newborn baby will start a sleep period by entering into a period of REM sleep. This immature pattern of sleep will alter at about 3 months to one where the infant will begin sleep with a period of non-REM sleep.
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