Sleeping Through the Night

What "Sleeping Through the Night" Really Means

You've been told the goal is 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep, but every time your baby wakes up, you feel like you’re back at square one. This feeling of frustration is completely normal, because the commonly accepted definition of "sleeping through the night" is biologically inaccurate. All humans—including you and your baby—wake up multiple times a night. The secret to great sleep isn't eliminating these wake-ups; it's understanding the simple science behind them.

All Humans Wake Up

To understand your baby's sleep, you first have to understand human sleep. Whether you're a newborn or a grown adult, all humans wake up between sleep cycles. Your sleep cycle is about 90 minutes long. When you shift from one cycle to the next, you briefly come to a state of wakefulness or light arousal. As an adult, you simply check your position, roll over, and fall back to sleep without even remembering it.

Newborns and young infants (under 4 months) have even shorter, less organized sleep cycles. So, when your baby wakes up every 45 minutes, every hour, or every two hours, they aren't "bad sleepers"—they're just having a normal human sleep experience.

Redefining the Baby Milestone

So, what does it actually mean when a pediatrician or sleep professional talks about a baby "sleeping through the night"?

For babies under six months, "sleeping through the night" generally means a continuous stretch of 5 to 6 hours. That’s it! Five hours of continuous sleep is a huge win for a little one and a major accomplishment for parents. This definition accounts for their tiny tummies and their need for nutritional comfort, especially in the first few months.

If your 2-month-old sleeps for a five-hour stretch, you can honestly say, "Yes, they're sleeping through the night!"

The True Goal: Independent Sleep

The real magic of good baby sleep isn't eliminating all wake-ups; it's teaching your baby (at least 4-5 months of age or older) the skill of falling back to sleep independently when those natural arousals occur.

When your baby relies on an external comfort measure—like being fed, rocked, or held—to fall asleep at bedtime, they will likely look for that exact same comfort when they wake between cycles two hours later. This is what we call a sleep association, and this is what turns normal waking into a frustrating cycle of frequent night wakings for parents.

The goal of gentle sleep coaching is simply to eliminate those parental interventions. That means:

1. Setting a Realistic Expectation: Understand that all babies will wake, and that learning the skill of self-settling takes practice, time and consistency. In addition, the sleep training process is not always linear. Progress includes setbacks, and that is normal. Your immediate aim is to stop fixing every wake-up, while still providing appropriate support (outside of pre-determined feeding times).

2. Creating Consistency: Establish a predictable bedtime routine and a sleep-conducive environment (dark room, white noise).

Let go of the pressure of the 12-hour myth. Focus instead on the foundational skills you are teaching your baby—skills they will use for the rest of their lives. Building this sleep confidence is a process, not an event, and the consistency you provide is the key to your success. The longer, restorative stretches of sleep should naturally follow the establishment of these habits.

Want to learn more? Book your 30-minute Sweet Dreams Starter Call today and discover how I can help your family enjoy the gift of sleep.

Yours in sleep,

Tracie / Rest Well Baby

www.restwellbaby.com

Tracie Kesatie is a Certified Gentle Sleep Coach dedicated to helping families with little ones 0-10 years of age achieve a restful night's sleep.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with your pediatrician for any concerns about your child's health.