Circadian Rhythms
It would be impossible for me to put everything about circadian rhythms into one blog post. However, I do want to give you enough information that you feel equipped to make decisions about your child’s daily routine. I will focus on your child in this post, but all of these things will work for you as well.
So first things first- what the heck is a circadian rhythm? Our circadian rhythm can be thought of like our body clock. Our digestion, hunger, body temperature, and sleep are all influenced by this “internal clock”. Also important to know- this “clock” runs slightly longer than 24 hours. This means that if we don’t reset our child’s clock regularly, it will be easy for their internal clock to shift and get off track.
So our next question should be- how do we reset their “clock”? Seems pretty important if we need to do it regularly. Early morning sunlight is one of the biggest tools for resetting that clock and setting up the rest of the day. That morning light is one of the things that will trigger melatonin production later in the day. There has to be the bright light first so our brains can perceive darkness and release melatonin in response. (Head over to my blog post on melatonin if you’d like more information about that). If you have time in the mornings, go for a walk just before or right after breakfast. Go play outside for a few minutes. Get your child out in the sunlight to set up the rest of the day.
Another thing we can do to help our child’s sleep and circadian rhythms is drop the temperature in their bedroom at bedtime, even just slightly, to mimic the drop in our body temperature when we sleep. This will reinforce the reset you do in the morning with the sunlight.
Other things that will help: consistent wake up times, eating soon after waking, and having morning play time.
One important thing to note is that before 4 months, circadian rhythms have not fully developed yet. We often hear of day/night confusion in newborns- this is the reason behind that “confusion”. You aren’t doing anything wrong if sleep and schedules are all over the place during the newborn stage- this is completely normal.
If you need help with your child’s schedule, head over to the Work With Me page to schedule one-on-one help.
