Is your baby or toddler waking up in the middle of the night and staying awake…for hours?
This is called a “split night” (or segmented sleep) where your child goes to bed, sleeps for a long stretch, then wakes up happy and full of energy in the middle of the night and stays that way for an hour…or more. Eventually, your child’s crib party comes to an end and they go back to sleep until morning.
Let’s take a look at why this happens and how you can fix it.
What Causes Your Baby to Have Split Nights?
Our sleep is driven by two things:
- Our circadian rhythm, which is our natural tendency to wake up when it’s light and sleep when it’s dark, and
- Our sleep pressure (or sleep drive) which continues to build the longer we’re awake.
So, ideally, sleep pressure builds throughout the day so that your child becomes tired at bedtime and then falls asleep. As your child sleeps, their sleep pressure starts to lower, and then the circadian rhythm takes over and they stay asleep until morning.
With a split night, there are two possible causes:
1. Going to Bed Too Late
If your child’s going to bed too late, too much sleep pressure has built up, and they become overtired. And what happens when your child becomes overtired is their brain starts producing more cortisol, which gives them a surge of energy. This can make it tough for your child to fall asleep at bedtime and can also cause a full wake up at the end of a sleep cycle, typically around 2 or 3 am.
2. Going to Bed Too Early
If your child’s going to bed too early, it’s possible that not enough sleep pressure has built up to keep them sleeping long enough for their circadian rhythm to take over. So, your child falls asleep at bedtime, their sleep pressure continues to lower as they sleep, until it’s so low that they wake up. And their circadian rhythm isn’t in a place to take over and keep them sleeping through until morning.
And so, now your child’s awake and active until that sleep pressure builds back up…and this could take anywhere between 1-3 hours!
How to Fix Your Baby’s Split Nights
It can be a delicate balance trying to find that perfect bedtime, where your child’s not going to bed too early or too late. And it’s not likely going to be an overnight fix.
Make gradual changes to your little one’s bedtime (15-20 minutes every few nights) and be patient.
Need some extra support with your little one’s sleep challenges? Schedule your Free Sleep Evaluation Call today.