For children, overtiredness is the root of all evil. This dreaded condition can turn a happy-go lucky child into an unrecognizable hellion, and it can send good sleep habits out the window. Overtiredness also makes sleep training infinitely more difficult.
Babies and children have a biological body clock, just like us adults do. It’s what we call the circadian rhythm. Our bodies secrete a hormone called cortisol in the morning and throughout the day to wake us up and keep us going. Conversely, in the evening our body begins secreting melatonin, which is the hormone that makes us feel sleepy. The rate at which cortisol and melatonin are released is dependent on a variety of factors, although timing is the most predominant.
So why is it such a problem when our little ones stay up too long? Well, the human body is very adaptable, and it assumes there is a good reason why sleep is being ignored. As a result, it begins releasing daytime hormones again.
And there we have it: an overtired baby whose body is now signaling to stay awake.
Once those daytime hormones are flooding through their body again, it’s really hard to shut them down. It becomes a negative cycle of less sleep leading to more daytime hormones. This is why toddlers and older children seem a little manic when they become overtired – some are even misdiagnosed with ADHD, because they are constantly overtired, and the influx of daytime hormones when they are already exhausted is a bad combination. They seem giggly and happy, but you’ll soon see them shift to cranky and grumpy, and bedtime almost certainly be a battle.
The obvious way to prevent this situation is to put them to sleep before they miss that window of opportunity. However, this is easier said than done. It can sometimes be very hard to read when babies are tired (newborns especially). Knowing what signals to look for can really help you solve that mystery, and you’ll begin to learn exactly when baby is ready for bed.
Watch out for rubbing of the eyes and nose. Babies don’t know how to deal with feelings of sleepiness, so they do a lot of rubbing. Also tugging of the ears, arching their back, and turning their face into your chest.
Although these are all strong signals that your baby is getting tired, they are also very similar to hunger signals. It’s best to keep an eye on the clock when you see these signs, and first ask yourself if you think they are actually hungry.
Newborns need to sleep a lot – they can manage about an hour of awake time before they need to sleep again. Note the time when they wake up, and try to remember to get them down for a nap no later than an hour later. Newborns are difficult though, because if you are breastfeeding, you have to deal with cluster feeding in between that. Also, an hour is hardly enough time for a diaper change (or two), a feed, and some playtime before they’re back in bed again.
But if they are showing these signs and it’s been around an hour, it is best to try to put them down for a nap first, and not always jump to the conclusion that they are hungry. If you aren’t having success with that nap, then of course feed them. As they grow, they will be able to handle longer and longer wake times, and it will become easier to develop a schedule for them.
So keep an eye out for those sleepy cues, and try to err on the side of sleep rather than hunger. A rested baby is a happy baby!