Baby waking at 5 am? Here’s Why…

Is your child consistently waking up before 6am? A later bedtime should make them sleep longer in the morning, right? Well, maybe not! I know it seems counterintuitive but in most cases an

earlier bedtime is usually the answer to an early rising issue.

With two little ones of my own, I have dealt with some bouts of early morning wakings myself. And as a child sleep consultant, it’s an area that I help lots of parents with. Here’s why an earlier bedtime could be the solution…

The wakeful hormones our bodies produce include adrenaline and cortisol, and when you are overtired your body will produce these hormones in excess to fuel you through the day and help you stay awake.

• When your little one goes to sleep overtired, they still have an excess of these wakeful hormones stored in their body.

• And when they reach the lighter stage REM cycles of sleep in the early hours of the morning, they will find it harder to get back to sleep after any brief waking and harder to connect their sleep cycles because of the excess of these hormones. 

• The solution? An earlier bedtime! I know it seems counterintuitive to put them to bed earlier when they’re already waking up early, but an early bedtime will help them catch more zzz’s which will help them to reduce those wakeful hormones and ultimately sleep longer.

Remember, early rising in babies and toddlers is super common and doesn’t last forever. With some gentle tweaks and a bit of patience, you can help guide them to a more reasonable wake-up time (and reclaim a bit of your morning sanity!).

Are you struggling with sleep? Feel free to book a free 15-minute sleep assessment call with me, a child sleep consultant, to see how I can help? As a paediatric sleep consultant and baby sleep consultant, I’m here to support you in navigating these changes for your family.

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