Why is it so hard to re-settle my baby after midnight?

I'm very often asked about why little ones wake more frequently in the early hours of the night AND why it is usually harder to re-settle baby back to sleep then too.

What a mix.

The first thing to understand is the role that hormones play:

Here's what's happening at bedtime:

• Little ones have high melatonin (sleepy hormone) levels after dim light onset

• Sleep pressure has been building since the end of their last sleep

• Cortisol levels are naturally low

Here's what's happening in the early hours of the morning:

• Melatonin begins to wear off around 2/3 am.

• Cortisol begins to rise to help with feeling alert and waking up in the morning.

• Sleep pressure is being used up and depleting.

If we put it all together...

You can see that in the early morning (around 3am), melatonin levels begin to drop, sleep pressure is depleting and at the same time (between 3am and 6am), cortisol levels are rising ready to get us up for the day. In addition to this, the latter part of the night is spend in more REM dreaming sleep, which is lighter than the deeper NREM sleep of the first part of the sleep/night.

This all contributes to why little ones can sometimes have trouble falling back to sleep once they’ve woken in the early hours and why you might need to offer a little extra help to re-settle baby

So what can we do?

Consider what may be causing the wakes in the first place and whether it's something you can control :

Environment - is there a light coming through the curtains? Invest in those black out blinds, or get creative and make your own.

Is there a noise waking them - the boiler, the neighbours? White noise machine on continuously through the night

Temperature - Throughout the day, the circadian rhythm influences and is influenced by body temperature, with the highest body temperatures found in the evening (bedtime), and the lowest temperatures occurring early in the morning. This is why children are often hot and sweaty at bedtime, and wake up cold in the small hours of the morning. Being too cold could trigger a wake up in the middle of the night.

Dress your little one appropriately for the temperature of the room. Bearing in mind that their body temp will drop during the night - maybe the addition of a layer or pair of socks on the cooler nights. Breathable, natural fibres are always best.

Timings - Are daytime sleep and bedtime optimised or could it be having an impact on night time sleep?

Get to know your little one's sleep needs and sleep cues - how long can they handle being awake? Are their naps fairly evenly spaces during the day for sleep pressure to rise adequately. are they having too much day time sleep or maybe is bedtime too early or late?

or whether its something you can't control:

There are elements with sleep that we can't control and in this situation, it's much better to re-frame your thinking about how you can manage the situation better, rather than stressing about something you're not able to change.

Developmental phase - brain activity causing a wake as they're learning new skills during the night

Separation anxiety peak - needing extra closeness and support

In the case that through process of elimination, you've ruled out any factors that you can control and the wakes are still happening, then go for the easiest way to get your little one back to sleep, without worrying about 'making bad habits' (FYI, I don't believe bad habits exist).

Whether that's getting them into you bed, or getting into theirs, feeding back to sleep or whichever is the easiest and quickest way to get your babe back to sleep.

This phase will pass and sleep WILL get better (I just can't promise exactly when).