For a baby, quality and deep sleep is extremely important. But what if the baby makes humming noise when sleeping?
It is a popular case that many parents have to face. If this is your first child, this can cause panic and anxiety.
It can stem from many different causes; certainly, not all of them are signs of danger.
However, there are still some cases where you must be more careful or consult a doctor. Discover more about them in the next sections.
Baby Makes Humming Noise When Sleeping: Why?
Making a humming noise when sleeping is a common situation for babies due to self-soothing, hunger, normal development, acid reflux, nasal Congestion, REM, or laryngomalacia.
Depending on the individual case, your child creates noise by different factors; learning about them in detail will help you find the answer.
Self-Soothe
Why do babies hum themselves to sleep?
Most babies probably generate these tiny noises to comfort themselves, just like kids singing or rocking themselves to sleep.
It might not necessarily sound like humming; instead, it could be a slight “shushing” or “mooing” sound.
Even worse, they might sound like they’re chanting in their cradle!
Your infant is causing very relaxing sensations in the chest by making these repeating noises. If so, it will typically occur before bedtime rather than while the kid is asleep.
When parents sleep but the child is awake, this is also a way to get back to their slumber.
Or if you awake them in the middle of the night, they might hum or sing themselves back to sleep.
These coping mechanisms will help kids become more autonomous as they age and are crucial life skills.
Development
Your baby’s body is rapidly growing and developing after delivery. After birth, their systems continue to grow; therefore, ongoing work is required.
They may become exhausted as a result, which is why the baby moans in sleep.
They are also learning to produce sounds and occasionally test out new things. Babies are still developing their ability to control their lungs and breathing.
Just like adults, some newborns are noisier than others; perhaps your baby inherited your husband’s snoring genes.
Reflux
Since babies’ airways are small, even a trivial amount of mucus or dry air can generate rattling, whistling, or wheezing noises while they sleep.
Their throats may become clogged due to acid reflux or simply from sucking so much milk.
I also noticed my baby sneezing or coughing while dozing for the same reasons. Don’t worry until they are exhibiting more symptoms of the disease.
Nasal Congestion
Most newborns usually breathe through their noses until they are 3 to 4 months old.
It’s not impossible for them to feel some nasal congestion if it’s winter or they’re in a dry atmosphere.
Although it is not a significant problem, it might make them whistle or “hum” instead of breathing peacefully. Keep an eye on it; consider consulting your pediatrician if it persists.
The nasal passages of a newborn with a cold or an upper respiratory infection may swell and overproduce mucus.
The tissues in an infant’s airway may expand due to a bacterial or viral illness (croup). Because of this, kids frequently make weird noises while awake and sleeping.
REM
The sleep stages, such as REM sleep, also known as “active sleep,” and NREM sleep, often known as “quiet sleep,” cycle every 45 to 50 minutes in newborns.
These two sleep stages become four if your baby is from three to four months old. It is comparable to the stages of adult sleep.
Even so, your child’s sleep cycle, which comprises the whole phase of NREM sleep plus a small amount of REM sleep (still lasts less than 60 minutes), is still quite short.
This implies that your child will enter a light slumber once every hour, making them more likely to move around, quickly wake up, and create a newborn humming in sleep.
They Are Hungry
Even while they are sleeping, babies don’t exactly hide their hunger.
This implies that while your child is in her/his slumber, you might hear a lot of suckling, rooting, and lip-smacking noises.
I once even saw my baby sleeping and sucking milk while holding her own bottle at the same time.
You might wish to feed your noisy sleeper because these noises could indicate that your child will soon wake up hungry.
Laryngomalacia
If you see your baby humming in sleep, they may have Laryngomalacia.
This is where the voice box tissues above the larynx are looser and softer than they’re supposed to be. When crying or eating, babies with laryngomalacia make a louder noise.
When my little one experienced this situation, her breath could be audible. But it may or may not be loud when they breathe, depending on the situation.
In the early weeks of birth, Laryngomalacia is typically spotted by parents and other caregivers.
Most infants outgrow it until they are 12 to 18 months old, as the floppy cartilage matures and gains more tone.
When To Be Concerned About Baby Sleep Sound?
Typical Symptoms
Breathing irregularities are common in neonates. Your baby’s lungs are still developing, or more precisely, their brain is still learning how to communicate with other body systems.
While a newborn learns to control their breathing pattern, there will be brief moments when it increases, decreases, or stops entirely.
If you notice a baby groaning in sleep irregularly, you should immediately contact your infant’s doctor.
Or, more seriously, you even have to seek emergency help if you hear any of the following two sounds:
- Rapid breathing: It’s common for babies to have brief periods of fast breathing. But when they’re under a year old, these times shouldn’t last for more than a few seconds, occur frequently, or increase to more than 60 breaths per minute.
- Grunting: The odd sigh and grunt are acceptable, but once your kid grunts with each breath, this may indicate that something obstructs their airway.
Some Emergency Medical Attentions
You should reach out for immediate medical assistance for your newborn if your infant is making noises while sleeping and exhibits any of the following symptoms:
- The appearance of their skin is blue
- With each breath, the nostrils flare
- Observable neck or chest muscular spasms in your infant
- Fever
- Sluggishness or lassitude
- Respiration stops for extended periods (more than ten seconds) in your child
FAQs
How Long Does Humming Noise Last?
If you’ve ever slept next to a snorer, you know there is no age at which all sleep noises cease. However, some newborn noises tend to fade after a few months.
After several months, your baby’s lungs and digestive system begin to function properly, which can result in peaceful sleep.
In addition, after your infant reaches 3 to 6 months, they start spending more time in deeper, quieter sleep.
Some tips below can be useful to help your child sleep quieter:
- Feed your infant more uprightly, particularly before bed.
- After feedings, especially before bedtime, burp your baby.
- Bicycle the baby’s legs throughout the day and gently bring their knees to their tummies to lessen tension and grunting from bowel issues.
- Send out a dream stream.
- Learn your child’s wake windows and sleep cues.
- Create a peaceful nighttime ritual.
- White noise can be used to calm an infant.
What Are The Normal Sleeping Noise Of Baby?
Normal sleeping noises of infants include:
- Rattling or whistling: Newborns often whine as they breathe in because of their small nasal cavities.
- Gurgling: You may hear gurgling sounds as your baby sleeps since babies haven’t yet instinctively swallowed all their saliva, which collects at the back of their mouths and allows air to pass through.
- Burping, rumbling, passing gas: As their main activities at this time are eating, going potty, and sleeping, your baby’s digestive system is working all day.
- Lip-smacking: Your little one may make rooting or lip-smacking noises while sleeping. Be ready because they will probably wake up soon seeking food.
- Snorting: This is also related to congestion and usually happens when your child falls asleep quickly. When your little monster is about 6 months old, snoring sleep sounds frequently stop.
- Hiccupping: It’s believed that gulping air during their final feed before bedtime routine makes newborns and infants more prone to hiccuping in their sleep.
What Should I Do When My Baby Creates Humming Noise While Sleeping?
Even when it appears that the infant is still asleep while making noises, you usually don’t need to take any action.
If the infant seems pleasant and fine, all that is required is to wait and observe.
In case the child’s condition is deteriorating, try to avoid waking them.
You should get assistance immediately if you suspect your kid is ill, has a fever, or has other changes in their condition.
Call an ambulance if your infant’s skin color changes, and they have trouble breathing.
A doctor should examine noisy breathing to rule out any underlying medical conditions.
Bottom Lines
It’s a normal symptom when your baby makes humming noise when sleeping; but this doesn’t mean you can ignore them.
Careful observation is essential to forecast and spot health hazards or medical issues.
Remember to consult a doctor or seek emergency help when your child exhibits unusual signs.