False starts can be a common, and frustrating, issue for parents when it comes to their baby's sleep. There are many common causes of false starts, including lack of sleep
pressure, overtired-ness, discomfort or pain, connecting sleep cycles, separation anxiety, and hunger. In this article, I’ll break down what false starts are, why they happen, and what you can do to help your baby get to sleep easier.
A false start is what we see in the baby sleep, where when your baby wakes up shortly after being put down for bed at night. Usually a false start is characterised by baby waking up quickly after being put to sleep, around 30-60 minutes after bed, or about one sleep cycle or less. I know lots of parents wonder about frequent night waking and come to me saying that their babies wake up every couple of hours at night. This is likely within the range of normal, though. More than an hour asleep means baby is connecting to the next sleep cycle on their own, and waking every couple of hours is actually very biologically normal. So let’s stick with talking about a true false start, where baby wakes up in the 30-45 minute range.
WHY DO "FALSE STARTS" HAPPEN & HOW TO HELP?
There are a few common reasons for false starts. I’ll begin with the most common factors you will see with your baby's sleep;
LOW SLEEP PRESSURE
Homeostatic sleep drive, also called “sleep pressure,” is one of the 2 driving factors for falling asleep and staying asleep, paired with the circadian rhythm, or body clock. Sleep pressure builds with time awake, and it’s what makes us feel sleepy after a long day. Babies build sleep pressure more quickly which is why they often nap at least once per day. By bedtime, we want our babies to have lots of sleep pressure so that they fall asleep easily, with minimal fuss, in less than 25 minutes. If it’s taking a lot longer than that to fall asleep, baby seems wide awake and wanting to play during their bedtime routine, or wakes quickly after bedtime (having a “false start”) then it may be a sign of not enough sleep pressure.
To help with this, adjust your baby’s wake windows, daytime sleep, and/or bed time. You might start with just tweaking one thing, like the wake window before bed. You can do this either by shortening their last nap (yes, you can wake them up!) and/or pushing their bedtime a bit later. I recommend starting with at least 15 minutes at a time, and you can even go up to 30 or 45 minutes over the course of a few days (go gradually!). If this doesn’t seem to make a difference, you might consider your child’s total sleep per 24 hours. Some of this is trial and error, but if you observe your baby’s natural sleep rhythms and try to cap daytime sleep for a few days you may be able to find their sweet spot.
OVER-TIREDNESS
Overtired-ness is a huge buzzword in the sleep industry and tends to get blamed for everything and I actually don’t think it’s usually the culprit. That being said, if your baby is showing signs of being overtired at bedtime, and have a false start often, and falls asleep VERY quickly at bedtime (within 5 minutes or so), you may consider shortening their last wake window by bringing up bedtime a little earlier. Again- move gradually, starting with 15 minutes or so, then adding on a little every couple of nights until you notice the false starts disappearing or your bedtime routine going more smoothly.
PAIN / COLIC / DISCOMFORT
False starts can also happen when your baby is uncomfortable or in pain. It’s hard to settle into a peaceful, deep sleep if your tummy is upset or something hurts. Sometimes babies with colic, reflux, food intolerances, or other allergies have false starts because they have a hard time getting comfortable and need some reassurance and comfort from their caregivers to get into the next sleep cycle. Sometimes, if false starts are happening all of a sudden, it’s worth a check-in with your doctor to be sure your baby doesn’t have some sort of infection causing them pain or discomfort.
SLEEP ENVIRONMENT
We all wake between sleep cycles. We just don’t remember! As adults, after each sleep cycle, we might briefly wake to take stock of our surroundings and to ensure we are still safe. Babies do the same thing, but their sleep cycles are much shorter- about 50 minutes to our 90. This is a common cause of false starts: babies not being able to connect to the next sleep cycle without support. This is incredibly normal, as babies aren’t designed to be separated from caregivers to sleep.
However, if the environment is just right, it can be helpful for baby to transition with less help. The environment should be conducive to sleep so that your baby can cycle through their sleep cycles with minimal assistance from you. This means that you want the room to be dark and cool, and you may want white noise so household noises or things outside don’t prevent them from connecting to the next sleep cycle.
SEPARATION ANXIETY
Another common reason for false starts is lack of proximity. Babies attach through the senses in their first year (and beyond!) and rely on caregivers for, well, everything! It shouldn’t surprise us that they need and want to be kept close. If your baby has a false start and is easily soothed back to sleep just by your presence, they might be going through a bit of separation anxiety. To help with this you can try sleeping with your child’s crib sheet for a few nights so it has your scent. If your child is over 12 months, you can also introduce a small lovey or other attachment item that can help comfort your baby when you’re not there.
HUNGER
If your baby is dozing off during the bedtime feeding, or if it’s been more than a couple of hours since dinner, they could be waking to “finish” that feeding to fill their bellies before the long night ahead. It’s very common for babies to wake every few hours for feedings, but they will wake much sooner if they are going down without a full stomach. Even a perfectly tired baby will not sleep well on a hungry belly. When a baby isn’t quite satiated, they might “fight” sleep, often crying and fussing, sucking on their hands and squirming around. This might even make you think they are gassy or “colicky”. They won’t fall sleep easily and will need lots of support from you to fall asleep, or will have a false start, and wake quickly after being put down.
If your baby is older/ not feeding at bedtime, you can try offering a high-fat bedtime snack closer to your baby’s bedtime to help fill them up before they go to sleep. Things like oatmeal, banana with peanut butter, or full-fat yogurt with tart cherries (cherries help with sleep too!) are great options.
NOTHING WORKS?
Transitioning away from sleep associations takes time and patience. You can follow the routine which works for your baby & family, but if you are still bit laggy and failed then use a responsive SLEEP TRAINING method that allows you to comfort and console your baby if they protest the change. Within a few nights(1-2 weeks max), you'll find your baby adapts to the new routine with GENTLE techniques and NO-CRY methods!
The SLEEP BUD SLEEP Program includes COUPLE OF SLEEP PLANS that guides you through these changes. GET IN TOUCH WITH ME to let your baby have well-rested nights and you can enjoy their baby days by SLEEPING 6-8 hours to 10-12 hours long :)
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