Segmented Sleep: What Can You Do About It?
It’s one thing having a baby who wakes up and requires a small amount of comforting before going swiftly back to sleep - but a baby who wakes up and stays up for hours is a completely different matter. These segmented sleep patterns, also known as bifurcated sleep or split nights, can be an absolute nightmare for parents.
Here’s what you can do about it.
What is segmented sleep?
Segmented sleep is not a modern phenomenon and it’s not restricted to babies, either. Before electric lightbulbs became commonplace, people would regularly sleep for a few hours and then wake up for an hour or two before going back to sleep.
But while most of us now sleep through the night, it seems some babies have a hankering for the good old days. They can sleep for four, five or six hours and then wake up at 02:00 all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. They could then subject you to a couple of hours of midnight misery before drifting off back to sleep.
Why does segmented sleep happen?
Segmented sleeping is actually quite a common issue that’s caused by an imbalance in the two main drivers that control our sleep. They are:
Circadian rhythm - This is our natural tendency to sleep when it’s dark and wake up when it’s light.
Sleep pressure - Also known as the homeostatic sleep drive, this is our biochemical need to sleep. It builds up throughout the day and is based on the amount of time we’ve been awake and the intensity of our brain activity.
In an ideal world, the sleep pressure will build up over the day and baby will be ready to sleep at bedtime. As the sleep pressure starts to subside, the circadian rhythm will kick in and keep baby asleep until morning. If only it were that easy.
In the case of a segmented sleeper, there could be two things going wrong. Either your little one is going to bed too early before the sleep pressure has had time to build, or they're going to bed too late and becoming overtired.
How can you avoid split nights?
If your child is going to bed too late, their brain’s instinctive response is to start upping their cortisol levels, and that can make it difficult for them to sleep when you first put them down. It can also cause a full wake-up at the end of the sleep cycle, which will typically end at around 2 or 3 in the morning.
However, the good news is that this situation is relatively easy to solve. Just treat it as you would any other wake-up. Reassure your little one that it’s still bedtime and soothe them back to sleep. You could also then bring bedtime forward for the next few nights to try and ease the issue.
The other scenario is that your baby goes to bed too early, which is not so easy to fix. In this case, the sleep pressure may not have built up enough to keep them sleeping until their circadian rhythm takes over, so they wake up and cause you all sorts of problems throughout the night. You then have to wait for the sleep pressure to build back up again, which can take…hours.
To counteract this, it’s worth looking at your child's sleep schedule and adjusting it a bit. Generally speaking, it’s fine to put your baby to bed early if they haven't napped well or has had a hard day, but you should avoid putting them down early more than one or two nights in a row. Instead, get them back into their regular routine the next day and start by waking up them on time.
If your baby is in the habit of segmented sleep then it can take a little while to fix. However, the ultimate goal of getting them to sleep soundly through the night is well worth it, so be patient, be consistent and after a few nights, they should be back on track.
Are you struggling with any aspect of your baby’s sleep? Then read more about how we can help and book your free 30-minute sleep consultation.
