The Wake Up Call: Why children rise early and what to do about it
Every morning around 5-6 am, I wake up to the sound of little stomping feet across our wood floor, and voices chit chatting their way down the hallway to the living room. A few minutes later, our three-year-old daughter barges into our room asking if she did a good job not waking us up. No matter what time we put them to bed, they will wake up bright and early, ready to play.
Throughout the years we have tried different tactics to get them to stay in bed longer. Incentives like little prizes (stickers or figurines of their choosing) worked for a few weeks and then they lost interest. Off and on, the “Ok to wake clock” has been helpful, letting them know when it is okay to get out of bed, but our little one didn’t care to follow the rules. For a few months we got creative and used the baby monitor, showing them how they were safe in their rooms because we could see and watch them all night long. When they talked to us to make sure we were there, we spoke through the speaker to reassure them. It worked like magic, until one day it didn’t.
While living in Spain for a few years, we were shocked at how late children stay up. Dinner time is 8-9pm, and many families go out with their children afterwards until way past midnight. Somehow those children are able to sleep in, sometimes until 9am the next day. Was it the metal shutters that block out any hint of outside light that did the trick? Did the kids’ internal circadian clocks adjust to the time change their culture was accustomed to? Or did they all take mid-afternoon siestas that kept them going until late? We tried changing our kids’ sleep schedule to be closer to their friends’, and so we could go out to dinner later when the restaurants were actually open. But no matter what time they went to bed, they would wake up early, now groggy and in a bad mood.
We all have preferences on when we like to sleep that are actually influenced by specific genes. Known as our chronotype, most fall into the category of “early birds," with peak productivity mid-morning, versus “night owls” who feel energized later in the day and are most creative late at night. Being an early riser myself, I was out of luck to hope for something different in my kids. Children in general also naturally have early circadian rhythms until adolescence, when their bodies start preferring later sleep and wake times.
Another reason why children wake up early is their increased sensitivity to light, which means they are more likely to wake with the early morning dawn light. That is why the recommendation of a blackout curtain holds true. Younger children also spend more time in the REM sleep cycle, and are more easily awakened, to the birds chirping, the garbage truck rolling by, the neighbor’s dog barking—things that are out of our control.
I remember when our children would wake up early, our initial thought and action was to put them to bed later. Perhaps they didn’t have enough sleep drive and needed less sleep. Sometimes this is true as kids get older, but the recommendation of many sleep specialists was usually to put the kids to bed earlier. When children are overtired, their stress response is activated and their cortisol level elevated. This will disrupt their sleep cycle and children will often wake up earlier even when they need more sleep to repair. Putting kids to bed earlier will help them get the recommended hours of sleep each night.
It’s always tricky to figure out the perfect time to start the sleep routine for each child. And it seems once you have it figured out, a few weeks later they change and need something different. As much as can be done, routine is best. Kids’ bodies respond to knowing when it is time to sleep, and can anticipate what is about to happen. Figuring out how many hours they need each night for their age group, what time they usually wake up, and counting the hours backwards from there, can help. Then allowing 30 minutes of wind down time (bathing, reading a book, singing) while dimming the lights and sending signals to their brain to start producing melatonin can make things a bit easier.
We ourselves had to also go to bed earlier to get our recommended 7-8 hours a night. Knowing our early morning wake up call was coming soon, we had to adjust out late night habits to get to bed at a reasonable hour. No more scrolling on our phones, watching movies, or late-night partying. For now, and perhaps until the kids are teens, sleep was more important.
MY TIPS:
Some children wake early due to genetics and their chronotype, earlier circadian rhythms, more time in REM sleep cycle, and higher sensitivity to light.
Making the room darker with blackout curtains does help regulate the circadian rhythm, particularly in the early morning light
Sound machines can also help with light sleepers to decrease the amount of noise in the early morning.
Incentives like “prizes” can work for some (stickers, figurines, star charts, etc)
Place an “OK to wake” clock in the bedroom and set it to the time the child is allowed to get out of bed
Teach the child how to be on their own in the morning, setting up toys or drawing materials, books, (or even snacks) they can do in the morning before waking up the parents.
Try putting the child to bed earlier rather than later: they might be overtired and need more sleep. Count backwards the amount of hours they need from the time they wake and start bedtime 30 minutes prior, dimming lights to start their melatonin production.
If the child seems like they are undertired and don’t need as much sleep, try putting them to bed later by 15 minutes at a time every few days to adjust their sleep schedule.
Parents can go to bed earlier as well to help get the recommended 7-8 hours a night.
Remember the amount of total hours recommended for sleep varies by age: (this includes naps)
Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours
Infants (4-11 months): 12-16 hours
Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours
Preschool (3-5 years): 10-13 hours
School age (6-12 years): 9-12 hours
Teens (13-18 years): 8-10 hours
This content is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended as, and should not be interpreted as, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
