The Single Question to Identify Why Most Babies Wake Up During the Night
At bedtime, what is that thing that helps your child fall asleep?
Wait, why are you giving me a question about bedtime?
Aren’t we talking about night wakings?
Yes, but night wakings are tied to what happens at bedtime.
Waking up during the night is normal. Everyone does it, from infants through older adults. At the end of every sleep cycle our brain has a brief arousal. Most people go right back to sleep, not remembering these awakenings in the morning.
However, how we fall asleep at bedtime can impact whether we have a brief arousal or a full awakening.
Sleep Onset Associations
Think of it this way, every person has a favorite way of falling asleep, such as white noise, a little light (or complete darkness), or certain pillows. These are called sleep onset associations, and they not only help us fall asleep at bedtime, but also return to sleep following a normal nighttime arousal.
For example, I need two pillows to fall asleep at bedtime. During the night I wake up and find my pillows on the floor. The pillows falling off the bed did not wake me up, but when I had a normal arousal, I reached for my pillows, and they were not there! Once I scoop the pillows up and lay my head on them again, life is grand and I’m able to return to sleep.
Do you see where this is going?
Parents may inadvertently become their child’s two pillows, helping the child fall asleep at bedtime with rocking, nursing, or driving.
Most parents don’t mind this at bedtime.
But following a normal arousal (which is every 50-60 minutes in infants), the infant will often need the same sleep onset association (rocking, nursing, driving) to return to sleep.
So “that thing” you ask about is the sleep onset association that will need to change so infants and their parents can get a good night of sleep.
Want to learn more about pediatric sleep for your clinical practice? Nyxeos offers provider consultation, live webinars, and an on demand course. Or set up a free consultation to see how we can provide services that meet your needs.