There’s nothing more frustrating than a baby or toddler awake
for hours in the night. Even though bedtime went smoothly, it’s now 3 a.m. and your little one has been lying awake for hours with no signs of falling asleep, despite your best efforts.
This is referred to as a “split night” and it’s a common challenge among parents of infants and toddlers.
What is a split night?
A split night occurs when a child drifts off to sleep at bedtime, enjoys several hours of rest, and then suddenly awakens and stays awake for hours. During this time, children are typically in a good mood and
full of energy, with no signs of falling back asleep anytime soon.
Are split nights a phase?
Split nights aren’t a temporary phase you can simply wait out. There are reasons behind your little one’s wakefulness and practical solutions to overcome it.
Why do split nights happen?
A split night is caused by one of two possibilities: either your child is overtired or not tired enough.
I’ll explain…
Sleep is driven by two factors: sleep pressure and circadian rhythm.
Sleep pressure increases throughout the day as your child stays awake. Then, as they fall asleep at bedtime, sleep pressure continues to lower the longer they sleep. Just before sleep pressure diminishes completely, the circadian rhythm takes over. This is our body’s internal clock prompting us to sleep when it’s dark and wake when it’s light. Typically, these two factors work together for your baby to sleep through the night.
So…
If your child’s bedtime is too late or they haven’t had enough daytime sleep, their sleep pressure is high, leading to overtiredness. Although your child may fall asleep fine initially, their body starts producing more cortisol, resulting in a surge of energy by the middle of the night. And now your baby is awake for hours until sleep pressure builds back up.
On the other hand, if your child’s bedtime is too early or they’ve had too much daytime sleep, their sleep pressure isn’t high enough at bedtime. As they sleep, their sleep pressure continues to lower, resulting in your child waking up before the circadian rhythm takes over. And now your baby stays awake for hours until sleep pressure rises again.
How do you get rid of split nights?
1. Work on improving naps
If your child is such a great napper that they get too much daytime sleep, try limiting their last nap of the day by waking them up a bit earlier. If your baby takes short naps, and therefore doesn’t get enough daytime sleep, work on lengthening those naps so they can go into bedtime tired, but not overtired.
2. Adjust bedtime
If your child is either overtired or not tired enough at bedtime, try gradually shifting their bedtime by 15-20 minutes every few days until you achieve optimal sleep pressure and your little one is sleeping through the night.
Adjusting your child’s sleep schedule to overcome split nights is a gradual process. So, make small adjustments and be patient. You’ll all start enjoying uninterrupted nights of restful sleep soon.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with this process and you’re
struggling to find a sleep schedule that works for your child, download some sample schedules here or schedule a free call to learn how I can help.