Sleep is essential for your little one’s growth and well-being. It helps with attention, mood, memory, resilience, and overall health.[1] But despite our best intentions, sleep disruptions can be a common challenge — especially when external factors like long trips or big life changes come into play. These disruptions can lead to trouble sleeping, jet lag, nighttime awakenings, and daytime irritability.
Thankfully, how to reset your sleep schedule isn’t rocket science! In this post, we’ll guide you through simple strategies to help your child reset their sleeping schedule and enjoy restful nights.
Understanding Sleep Cycles and the Circadian Rhythm
Understanding circadian rhythms and sleep cycles is key to helping kiddos get the rest they need. By recognizing how they work, you can better support your child’s sleep and address disruptions.
What Is Circadian Rhythm?
The circadian rhythm — often called the body’s internal clock — is key to regulating our sleep-wake cycles. Circadian rhythms are the natural patterns that guide our body’s physical, mental, and behavioral changes over a 24-hour period. The biggest influence on these rhythms is sunlight and darkness, but other factors like what we eat, stress, physical activity, social interactions, and even the temperature can play a role.
Almost every living thing has circadian rhythms. In humans, nearly every part of our body, from our tissues to our organs, follows these rhythms, all working together to sync with the daily cycle of day and night.[2]
Maintaining a regular sleep-wake cycle is crucial. A consistent schedule helps align your circadian rhythm with your environment, leading to more rejuvenating sleep and better overall wellness.
Stages of Sleep Cycles
When it comes to getting the sleep your child needs, it’s natural to focus on the amount of hours slept. While that’s important, it’s not the whole story. Sleep quality is just as crucial — you want to make sure time spent sleeping is truly restorative.
A key part of getting high-quality sleep is moving smoothly through the sleep cycle, which consists of four distinct stages. Each stage has a unique role in helping your mind and body wake up feeling refreshed:[3,4] Stages are categorized as either Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) or Rapid Eye Movement (REM).
Light sleep (NREM 1)
This is the first stage, a gentle transition from being awake to falling asleep that lasts about 5-10 minutes. During this stage, your muscles start to relax, and your eyes move slowly under your eyelids. You might feel like you’re falling or experience a sudden muscle twitch, known as a hypnic jerk.
Light sleep continued (NREM 2)
As you move into this stage, the body starts to settle down even more. Heart rate and body temperature drop, eyes stop moving, and brain waves slow down. NREM 2 is a light sleep stage that prepares you for deeper sleep. It typically lasts 10-25 minutes during the first sleep cycle and gets longer as the night goes on.
Deep sleep (NREM 3)
This is the deep sleep stage, also known as slow-wave sleep, which is crucial for feeling refreshed in the morning. During NREM 3, brain waves slow down to what are called delta waves. It’s the hardest stage to wake up from, and if you do wake up, you might feel groggy for a few minutes. This stage is important for physical recovery, such as tissue repair, muscle growth, and strengthening your immune system. It also helps with memory consolidation.
REM sleep (dreaming stage)
The final stage of the sleep cycle is REM sleep, where most of your dreaming happens. During REM, eyes move rapidly, brain activity increases, and muscles become temporarily paralyzed to prevent you from acting out your dreams. This stage is essential for processing the day’s information and emotions, and it plays a key role in learning and memory.
How long are sleep cycles? It differs for everyone. The average person might go through 4-6 sleep cycles per night, with each cycle lasting about 90 minutes on average. Children, who need more sleep than adults and may spend more time in certain sleep cycles as they develop, may experience more than six cycles.[5]
Disrupting the Rhythm: Common Sleep Challenges
Sometimes, life has other plans, and your child’s circadian rhythm gets thrown off. Common events that can disrupt a child's sleep routine include starting a new school year, changes due to daylight savings time, travel, illness, and stressful events.
Each of these can throw off a child's circadian rhythm, making it harder to fall asleep or wake up at the usual times. For example, the excitement and anxiety of a new school year can lead to restlessness, while travel can cause jet lag and disrupt the body's internal clock.
Daylight savings time can also shift the light-dark cycle, affecting sleep patterns. Illness can disrupt sleep due to discomfort, and stressful events can increase anxiety, making it difficult for children to relax and get the rest they need.
Signs of a Disrupted Circadian Rhythm
So, how can you tell when your little one’s natural rhythm has been disrupted? Symptoms of messed up circadian rhythms can include:[6]
Difficulty waking up in the morning
Falling asleep before the normal bedtime
Hypersomnia (excessive daytime sleepiness)
Trouble falling asleep at the normal bedtime
Waking up before daylight
Strategies for Resetting Your Child's Sleep Routine
No one likes to see their little one dealing with sleep issues. The good news is, knowing how to reset sleep schedules can get the whole family back on track. Here are a few practical strategies to help your child adjust to changes and improve sleep:[1,7,8,9,10,11]
Establish a Consistent Bedtime and Wake-up Time
Set a regular bedtime and wake-up time, even on weekends, to help regulate your child's internal clock and improve sleep quality.
Create a Relaxing Bedtime Routine
Develop a calming bedtime routine for kids, such as reading a book or taking a warm bath, signal to your child that it's time to wind down and prepare for sleep. Learn more with our guide to healthy sleep habits.
Optimize the Sleep Environment
Ensure the bedroom is dark, quiet, and cool, and use comfortable bedding to create an environment that promotes restful sleep.
Limit Screen Time Before Bed
Avoid screens, including TVs, tablets, and smartphones, at least one hour before bedtime to reduce exposure to blue light, which can interfere with sleep.
Encourage Daytime Activity
Promote regular physical activity during the day to help your child feel more tired and ready for sleep at night.
Avoid Sugary Snacks and Drinks Before Bed
Limit sugary snacks and drinks in the evening, as they can cause energy spikes and make it harder for your child to fall asleep.
Consider a Melatonin Supplement
Melatonin is a hormone that plays an important role in sleep, and our bodies produce melatonin naturally. When other strategies are not effective in helping regulate your little one’s sleep-wake cycle, consult your healthcare provider about whether a melatonin supplement might help. When you’re ready, you can explore safe, drug-free, and non-habit-forming options from Zarbee’s®.
Consult a Healthcare Professional
If sleep issues persist, seek advice from a healthcare professional to rule out underlying conditions and get personalized guidance.
Resetting a kid's sleep routine can be a gradual process, but with consistency and patience, you can help your child get the zzzzzz’s they need!