Reasons for Overnight Wake Ups

One of the most common sleep challenges I help families with is solving overnight wake-ups. There are numerous reasons why your baby may be waking up overnight! Newborns are expected to wake up and feed overnight. I am focusing on overnight wake ups in babies older than 4 months in this blog.

Science of the Sleep Cycle

First off, let’s review the science of sleep. Just as adults do, babies and children have cycles of Non-rem (deep) and rem (light) sleep. When a sleeper of any age moves from one cycle to the next, the brain experiences a “partial arousal,” in which you will wake up just enough to roll over and you’ll go right back to sleep. For babies who sleep through the night, partial arousals take place approximately every 3-4 hours. During naps, they occur after 10 minutes and 30 minutes of sleep.

This means that during a partial arousal, your baby may open their eyes and realize their environment is either the same as when they fell asleep in the crib bedtime or naptime or different.

If different, meaning they may have been fed, rocked, or held to sleep at bedtime or naptime and when they wake they are now in the crib they will look for the same intervention to help get them back to sleep instead of doing it on their own.

Hunger

Babies need to feed every 2-3 hours around the clock in the first 3-4 months of life! They are growing at lightning speed and have tiny tummies that need to be refilled often.

As your baby starts gets older, they will start taking in more calories during the day and need fewer calories overnight. The key here is to offer full feeds throughout the day and try to avoid grazing.

Following an eat, play, sleep routine can help your baby take full feeds throughout the day and not become dependent upon feeding to fall asleep.

By 6 months, the majority of babies are able to sleep through the night without a feed. If you’re struggling with an age-appropriate schedule and getting enough calories in during the day your baby may be reverse cycle feeding overnight where they are taking in too many calories overnight and it starts to directly impact their daytime appetite.

If this sounds like your baby, we can help with either 1:1 coaching or the Well Rested Sleep Course.

Comfort

Your baby may wake up and need comfort from you! They are human. This could be because of teething pain, the room is too hot or too cold, illness, or new developmental milestones. These type of wake ups should not be happening multiple times overnight or every night! If your baby is waking multiple times overnight or every night, it’s more likely to be related to one of the other reasons in this post!

Not every wake up is hunger related and some babies continue to wake out of habit overnight. A consistent approach overnight is key to navigating these wake ups.

If your baby usually sleeps through the night and happens to wake up overnight and it’s out of the ordinary it’s a good idea to go through this list of possible reasons. Comfort your baby as needed throughout these wake-ups. A quick pick up to calm, patting on the back, or shushing can help them fall back asleep without creating new habits.

Overtired

If your baby becomes overtired they will become fussy and agitated which can make it harder for them to fall asleep. If your baby has an extended period of time not getting the recommended amount of quality sleep for their age they may enter a state of sleep debt.

Babies who are overtired or in sleep debt are more likely to have restless sleep and frequent wake-ups overnight. To help your baby get the recommended amount of sleep they need you will want to learn your baby’s sleep cues and monitor wake windows. We include 3 sample sleep and feeding schedules from 4-24 months in the Well Rested sleep course or receive a customized schedule in 1:1 sleep coaching.

You can try to support naps to catch up on daytime sleep if possible. Sometimes extending naps with your support is just not possible! I get it! If that’s the case try adjusting bedtime earlier by 15-30 minutes for 1-2 weeks to help compensate for the sleep debt.

Sleep Association

Does your baby have a sleep association with feeding, rocking, the pacifier, or parental presence? These sleep associations can work well for families, but many will encounter a time when they stop working so well.

If your baby only knows how to fall asleep with one of these interventions they are more likely to wake up and need help to fall back asleep during the partial arousals overnight. Independent sleep is a skill that needs to be taught. It’s a life skill that will pay off dividends as your baby turns into a toddler and school-age child. The older the baby or toddler the longer it takes to break these habits. It’s never too late to learn independent sleep skills! We are here to help your family!

Habit

2 am wake up every single night? Sound familiar? This is a habitual type of wake up. Habitual wake-ups are when your baby wake-ups at the same time every night no matter what you did the day before. The most common are habitual early morning wake-ups. If your baby’s circadian rhythm gets set for 5 am it will take time and patience to rest your baby’s internal clock. We recommend using a sleep training method during these wake ups to help break the pattern. This can take 1-2 weeks to see the wake up pattern resolve.

What can you do to help establish healthy sleep foundations?

Create an optimal sleep environment
Establish predictable sleep routines
Monitor wake windows and sleepy cues
Ensure full feeds throughout the day
Fill your baby’s sleep tank with naps
Teach your baby how to fall asleep independently by implementing a sleep training method

If night wakings are becoming the norm and you’re ready to feel well rested again, I have a class for you. The 4-24 Month Well Rested Collection will walk you step-by-step through a completely customizable sleep training experience. In just a few weeks, your baby will be getting 11-12 hours of independent night sleep, AND you’ll have a plan to navigate any future regressions or bumps in your journey. I’ll also help you set up a daytime routine and nap schedule that fits your family’s lifestyle and values. And you’ll get age-specific guidance to meet your baby right where he or she is developmentally at every stage from now until your baby turns 2.

We also offer 1:1 personalized sleep coaching to families starting at 3 months up to 4 years! We have multiple options that can help you get sleep on track!

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