An early wake-up is when a child wakes ready to start the day earlier than wanted — generally an hour or more before the desired wake time, or before 6am.
An early wake-up is when a child wakes and is ready to get up earlier than a family would like. It is generally defined as waking an hour or more before the desired wake time, or before 6am, and being unable or unwilling to return to sleep.
Why does it happen?
Early waking has many possible contributors. Common ones include being overtired or undertired at bedtime, the timing and length of the last nap, light entering the room in the early morning, hunger, and the natural rise in cortisol and lightening of sleep that occurs in the final hours of the night.
How is it different from a night waking?
A night waking happens in the middle of the night, when sleep pressure is still high and a child can often be resettled. An early wake-up occurs in the last part of the night, when the body is already primed to wake, which is why it tends to be one of the more persistent patterns to change.
Early waking is usually the last sleep puzzle piece to slot in. A few ways to convince your little one to sleep a little later.
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