Any new parent would love to witness all movements of their babies, including smiling, rolling over, communicating, and sleeping. However, as you watch your baby sleep peacefully, you may suddenly notice your baby twitching in sleep sometimes. Sleep twitching is when your baby has little jerks and spasms during sleep. These spams could occur in the arms, legs, eyes, eyelids, fingers, toes, head, mouth, and cheeks (1). Twitching is a mild condition involving involuntary muscle movement and is usually seen during the early stages of sleep. Sometimes referred to as ‘sleep starts’ or ‘sleep myoclonus,’ twitches affect most newborns and babies (2). The condition is referred to as benign neonatal sleep myoclonus in medical terms. Most parents and elders think that babies twitch in sleep in response to a dream, but what could be other reasons for it? In this post, we tell you about how common twitching is in babies and when to be concerned about it.
Is It Normal For Babies To Twitch In Their Sleep?
Twitching or sleep myoclonus is not considered a serious condition in babies. Twitches in babies are most common from birth to three years of age (3). However, in most cases, it resolves on its own between two and six months of age (4). Moreover, it has been reported that this condition has no long or short-term effect on infants and is not associated with any neurodevelopmental abnormality (4). When the baby is twitching, do not panic but take a video on your mobile phone (or ask someone else nearby to do it). The video will be helpful to your doctor in diagnosing the problem.
What Causes Twitching In Sleep?
The cause of the twitching is still not clear. Interestingly, researchers have observed that twitching can last as long as 10 to 20 seconds (4). Twitching during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep has been linked to sensorimotor development (5). It is believed that when a baby twitches in sleep, the action activates the circuitry of the developing brain and teaches the babies about their limbs and what they can do with them. Moreover, researchers have uncovered how twitching can be related to the new developing skills of the baby. For instance, they suggest there may be a link between the babies twitching their neck during sleep and their ability to support their heads while they are awake, or they may twitch their fingers or toes when they are starting to reach for objects (1).
When Is Twitching In Sleep A Concern?
Twitching in sleep is usually harmless. However, the primary difference between night myoclonus and other conditions is that it occurs only in sleep. If you notice twitching or stiffening when your baby is awake or if you have developmental concerns, it may be a cause for concern and require a medical evaluation for the probable presence of the following conditions.
Infantile spasm: It is a type of epilepsy and occurs between two to 12 months of age but becomes prominent when the baby is four to eight months old. The seizures usually last one or two seconds but occur in a series every five to ten seconds. During these infantile spasms, the baby’s body stiffens, while the arms, legs, and head may bend forward, and the back may arch (6).
Benign familial neonatal convulsions: This condition is characterized by recurrent seizures that begin when the newborn is three days old and resolve by the time the baby is one to four months old. The seizures can involve either one or both sides of the brain and affect the entire body. The signs may include convulsions, muscle rigidity, and loss of consciousness (7).
Febrile seizures: These seizures are usually caused by a spike in body temperature or fever along with an infection (cold, flu, or ear infection). Children between the ages of six months and five years may experience febrile seizures. In the majority of the cases, febrile seizures are a form of convulsions. The symptoms may include loss of consciousness, vigorous shaking of arms or legs, rolling of eyes, and rigid limbs (8).
Seizures: Abnormal electrical and chemical changes in the brain can lead to seizures. Seizures may lead to a temporary change in consciousness, behavior, sensation, or physical movement. There are various types of seizures, and some signs may include loss of consciousness, convulsion, staring but only for a brief period, confusion, uncontrolled shaking of legs and hand, twitching, flexing, stiffening of the upper body, sudden panic or fear, and nodding (9).
Epilepsy: It causes recurrent seizures for known or unknown reasons, depending on the case. Epilepsy often leads to repeated unprovoked seizures unrelated to an acute illness or medical condition, such as brain injury (9).
A conclusive diagnosis of any of these neurological conditions requires multiple medical assessments and ruling out of various possibilities. Therefore, do not panic if your baby twitches often and speak to a pediatrician or a neurologist since early diagnosis of any problem could lead to a better prognosis. It is important to differentiate benign neonatal sleep myoclonus from seizure disorders as the latter usually need anticonvulsants for management while sleep twitchings are not diminished by anticonvulsant drugs and only diminish with age.
