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Are you wondering why your baby refuses to sleep during the night and is perfectly happy to stay awake for hours? Well, these exclusive crib parties are called split nights. Babies wake up for a multitude of reasons during the night. Sometimes it is because they are hungry or need a diaper change. Or maybe they are ill and fussy. But there are times when your baby is just hanging out by themselves and does not want to go to sleep no matter how much you pat, rock, and soothe them. Instead, they are up and active and more than happy to play and inspect all the stuffed toys in their crib. But why is that? Here are some answers on what split nights entail and how to deal with them.
What Are Split Nights?
Sometimes your baby may just be having an off night either due to digestive issues and discomfort or a growth spurt. Or, maybe they have been practicing a new skill they have just acquired. There can be many underlying reasons for your baby staying up at night. However, if this pattern lasts for more than two weeks and has been happening for at least five days out of the week, it is probably a split night issue.
Split nights, also known as bifurcated or segmented sleep, are when your baby wakes up in the wee hours of the morning for at least an hour or two for no apparent reason, which can be frustrating and exhausting for parents and caregivers to deal with.
What Are The Causes Of Split Nights?
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Two factors drive sleep in babies: the circadian rhythm, which is their natural tendency to sleep when it is dark sparked by melatonin, and sleep pressure which builds when they are awake. Generally, sleep pressure builds during the day, and your baby goes to sleep. When the pressure subsides, the circadian rhythm picks up during the night. Split nights happen when these two functions are out of sync. Here are two common causes for split nights:
1. Don’t Overdo Daytime Sleep
Often, split nights have to do with daytime sleep, that is, how long and how many naps your baby takes throughout the day. Although babies are supposed to sleep anywhere between 14 to 20 hours a day, parents must make sure that they do not allow their babies to sleep for long periods during the day as this will deduct the number of hours they can sleep during the night. For example, if your baby sleeps for 5 hours during the day, they only have around 9 hours to sleep at night, which may prompt them to wake up midway and feeling refreshed as there hasn’t been enough time for their sleep pressure to build again.
2. Too-Early Bedtimes Pose A Problem
It is not unusual to put your baby to sleep early during the night if they haven’t had sufficient sleep and naps during the day. However, making this a routine may disrupt your baby’s sleep patterns as your baby is spending more time in bed than needed, which results in them waking up at ungodly hours in the night. In addition, it is important to keep in mind that there are only so many hours of sleep that each child needs. So, parents must aim to build prime sleep pressure all the time.
How To Fix Split Nights?
Fixing your baby’s sleep schedule and getting rid of split nights is like figuring out a math equation. You are going to have to adjust your baby’s total daytime sleep and bedtime until they eventually stop waking up unnecessarily during the night. If your baby’s split nights are caused by excessive daytime sleep, you will have to rouse them a little, while earlier they would do so by themselves. You will also have to extend the time between every nap they take. For example, cutting them down from 4 one-hour-long naps to 3 30-34 minute naps makes a huge difference and gives your baby a chance to build that sleep pressure back up again before bedtime. This is perfectly fine as even 30-minute naps can be very restful and relaxing.
If fairly early bedtimes have brought on split nights, gradually shift the nap schedule to a later bedtime. Transitioning to a consistently timed bedtime will do wonders to sort out your baby’s sleep patterns. However, it is important to avoid over-tiredness and under-tiredness. You don’t want your baby to get over-tired as this, too, will make them fussy and harder to put down for a nap.
Are Split Nights Common?
There is no need to worry if your little one is going through a tough period sleep-wise. Split nights can be observed in babies and toddlers alike. Before 4 months, they are, in fact, the norm. Of course, all newborns wake up at odd times at night. But even after 5 months up till ages 3 and 4, it is possible that your child could experience split nights and need your help to go back to sleep.
In conclusion, split nights are normal and happen to every baby at one point in their development. It is important to take this in stride and ensure that you and your baby are sleeping enough. Tweaking their schedules here and there will solve the problem eventually.
