Preventing Overtiredness in Babies
We celebrated my youngest’s birthday this weekend. I thought I had planned the day well. As a sleep consultant, I’m cognizant of schedules and fairly protective of them (some in my family might say obsessive, but that is a topic for another day.) We are still napping so the plan was to start our little celebration later in the afternoon so as to protect rest time. And it worked out pretty well! The party was a success, and both of my girls had a great time. But by the time the last guest left, we got a light dinner in them, and finally got them settled from all the excitement, it was past their bedtime—and not even that much past—maybe 30-45 minutes. But it was enough! I knew that sleep that evening was going to be affected, as would the next 24 hours, so I mentally prepared myself.
The ideal sleep situation occurs due to a number of factors, including, environment, routines, hormones, and timing. Babies, toddlers, and young children are much more sensitive to these factors than we are as adults, however they affect all of us. As it gets darker our bodies produce melatonin which cues the body for sleep and regulates circadian rhythm. As
morning comes, there is a temporary increase in cortisol which helps you feel awake and refreshed. If the body is past the wind down period and the sleep cues are missed, it assumes there is a reason and a burst of cortisol is released. This switches the body into high alert mode. Babies become crabby and restless. (We see it in toddlers as squirelyness, or hyper activity in the evenings—and eventually meltdowns and bedtime battles.) This is because once the body hits this point, it is difficult to shut down. As the effects of overtiredness accumulate over days and weeks, it becomes harder to sleep, naps become inconsistent, there may be more night wakings, and even early morning wakings.
So how do we prevent this? Well, in babies, especially newborns, it can be a bit confusing, as sleepy cues often are confused with hunger. Signs to watch for include tugging of the ears, rubbing the eyes and nose, arching the back, and turning of the face toward your chest. Pair this with watching the clock. A newborn can only handle 45-60 minutes of awake time. As baby gets older this time slowly increases. Don’t skip naps, or if baby is struggling at nap time in their crib, try for an emergency nap in a stroller or go for a car ride. If your baby is overtired at bedtime, the cycle will continue.
Although we had a bit of a rough night, an extra long nap and early bedtime the following day helped us to get back on track. Watch the signs, allow your baby to make up their sleep debt, and provide a good sleep environment. If you had one bad day, baby should be back on track in 24 hours. If you are making up for weeks or months of sleep debt, it may take several days to a week. Hang in there! Now that you know what to watch for, your baby will be sleeping better in no time!
