Final answer:
Newborns typically sleep about 16 to 18 hours a day, which is essential for their rapid development.
Step-by-step explanation:
Newborns sleep about 16 to 18 hours per day. The amount of sleep we need changes throughout our life, being the longest during infancy. Newborn infants not only have well-developed senses of touch and hearing, but they also require a significant amount of sleep to support their rapid physical and cognitive development. The National Sleep Foundation supports that newborns need between 12 and 18 hours of sleep a night, which tends to decline as they grow older, reaching just 7-9 hours by adulthood.