Internal Body Clock: Time is Everything when it Comes to Toddler Bed Time

Sleep plays an important part in our everyday cycle. However, for little ones in particular, a regular sleep cycle is an essential part of maintaining a healthy life rhythm. For those that may not be getting the proper rest, their internal clocks may be suffering due an irregular sleep schedule.

According to researchers from the University of Colorado-Boulder, they pinpointed a time when the hormone melatonin increased in the evening, indicating the biological start of the night, in 14 toddlers involved the study. These study participants were studied over a six day period, with results that showed how toddlers with a later melatonin rise took longer to fall asleep when put to bed.

"There is relatively little research out there on how the physiology of toddlers may contribute to the emergence of sleep problems," said CU-Boulder assistant professor Monique LeBourgeois, a faculty member in the integrative physiology department who led the new study, according to a press release. "Sleeping at the wrong 'biological clock' time leads to sleep difficulties, like insomnia, in adults."

For adults, picking a time to hit the hay is much simpler, according to LeBourgeois. "This study is the first to show that a poor fit between bedtimes selected by the parents of toddlers and the rise in their evening melatonin production increases their likelihood of nighttime settling difficulties," he notes, via the release.

The findings are paritcularly important as 25 percent of toddlers and preschoolers have problems at bedtime and sticking to a regular routine. Sleep disturbances can often interrupt a child's bedtime--including anything from not feeling tired to tantrums in order to play longer. 

The study notes that toddlers with longer intervals between the onset of nightly melatonin release and their subsequent bedtimes were shown to fall asleep more quickly and had decreased bedtime resistance, according to the parents of children involved in the study. 

More information regarding the study can be found here.