New research shows that your newborn baby’s brain is a lot more active during sleep cycles than had been previously thought. The research, conducted by the University of Florida, tested the responses to outside stimuli in babies as young as one and two days old and found that the baby’s responded appropriately to tones and other factors from the youngest stages of their lives.

It would appear that the young babies are fast learners, too. In most cases, it only took about 20 minutes for babies to begin responding appropriately to the outside stimuli.

The studies may be used to demonstrate how babies, who spend most of their time sleeping, are able to learn and develop to quickly. It has long been known that babies’ sleep patterns are different from those of older children and adults, but these studies give some possible input as to why this is the case.

Infants spend much more time than grown ups in light, or active, sleep. This phase of sleep is recognized by the baby making sounds and facial gestures. During this light sleep phase, your baby, it would seem, is able to interact with the world outside to some degree, taking in information constantly, much as we do when we’re awake. One researcher went so far as to call sleeping babies “data sponges.”

It is believed that the methods used in these studies could give an early indication of learning disorders which previously were not diagnosed until much later in life. Conditions such as autism and dyslexia may be able to be caught early, allowing parents and medical professionals more time to deal with potential effects.

Of course, the research is still in its beginning stages. While there have been numerous studies done on how infants learn while they are awake, this was the first study conducted concerning how babies might learn in their sleep. There is still much to be discovered in this area, but for now, it seems to be well established that babies are, indeed, able to learn while they are napping.

So, next time your baby falls asleep, dim the lights and make sure it stays quiet. She’s learning from the environment around her, and we wouldn’t want to disturb her studying.

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