Is your child overtired?
Does your little one fall asleep every time they get into the car? Do you consistently have to wake them up in the morning to get the day started? You may be dealing with an overtired child. You may think the signs are obvious – temper tantrums, red eyes, yawning – but many parents overlook other important signs that point to an exhausted child.
It’s important to be able to recognize when your child is overtired because once you’ve crossed that thin line between “getting sleepy” and “past the point of no return,” it’s much harder to get them to fall and stay asleep. Not only that, but they are more likely to wake up frequently at night and wake up earlier than you’d like in the morning. We’ve all seen the effects of overtiredness on a child’s behavior – it can result in tears, tantrums, crankiness, and a generally unhappy kid. In addition to the more immediate behavioral impact, chronic overtiredness will have negative cognitive effects like impaired learning and memory, in addition to physical health effects, like a weakened immune system.
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Understanding Overtiredness
A child will become overtired when they don’t get enough age-appropriate sleep. When children are overtired, their bodies release a surge of stress hormones, which makes it very hard for them to fall asleep and causes a range of symptoms. Overtiredness can be caused by a single skipped nap, a late bedtime, or poor-quality sleep over the course of one day or night, or from lack of sleep accumulated over time.
Signs and Symptoms of Overtiredness
How can you tell if your tired is overtired versus just sleepy? This is where watching your child for cues will help. When a child is starting to get tired and is nearing the “sweet spot” to put them down for bed, you may see some common signs. In babies, you may see red eyebrows, fussiness, rubbing eyes, looking away, pulling ears, and big yawns. In toddlers, cues may include slowing down and losing interest in playing, clinginess, and clumsiness.
We want to avoid the point where the child goes from tired to overtired. Signs that they’ve crossed that threshold may include the following:
Behavioral cues
- Crankiness
- Irritability
- Mood swings
- Hyperactivity
Physical signs
- Looking and acting tired during the day
- Difficult waking in the morning
- Taking a long time to fall asleep
- Taking short naps
- Frequent middle-of-the-night wakings
- Waking up from sleep crying or in a bad mood
- Falling asleep whenever they get into a moving car
Cognitive indicators
- Difficulty concentrating
- Forgetfulness
Signs of overtiredness can also look different as children get older. Look for these specific signs depending on your child’s age:
Infants and toddlers
- Fussiness
- Excessive crying
- Arched back
- Red face
- Pulling knees to chest
- Pushing you away
Preschoolers
- Increased tantrums
- Increased clinginess
- Decreased appetite
- Resistance to activities
- More silly than usual
- Aggressive behavior
School-age children
- Increased sensitivity
- Difficulty with transitions
- Difficulty focusing at school
- Increased forgetfulness
Tips for Preventing Overtiredness
To avoid the state of sleep deprivation that leads to an overtired child, it’s important to follow an age-appropriate sleep schedule, use a consistent nap and bedtime routine, limit screen time, and ensure that your child’s room is optimized for sleep.
Establish a consistent sleep schedule
Ensure your child is getting their recommended amount of daily sleep. For infants and toddlers that are still napping, make sure you are following an age-appropriate nap and bedtime schedule. It important to prioritize sleep – it’s okay to go off-schedule every now and then, but to avoid and correct overtiredness, it’s important to ensure that 80% of the time you are following your child’s schedule in order to meet his or her sleep needs.
Create a calming bedtime routine
Use a consistent bedtime routine that includes calming activities like bathtime, reading, or singing a song. Avoid overstimulating your child before bed. In the hour before bedtime, avoid bright lights and loud toys. Read books, play with blocks or play a calm game together.
Limit screen time before bed
Avoid any screens, including televisions, tablets, and phones, in the hour before bedtime. The light emitted from these screens stimulates the brain and will keep your child awake.
Ensure a comfortable sleep environment
Make sure the room is completely dark, at a comfortable temperature (ideally between 68-72° F) and use a white noise machine throughout the night to block out any outside noises.
Get Active During the Day
Make sure your child has had enough activity during the day to help them sleep at night. Get outside, have a dance party, or go to the park. Whatever gets your little guy or gal moving.
What to Do If Your Child Is Overtired
If your child is already in an overtired state, stay calm. You can’t force a child to sleep, but the more stressed and anxious you are, the more they will absorb and mirror those emotions. Use your usual techniques to help soothe them in the moment (e.g., offer a pacifier, cuddle, rock them). Go to a calm, dimly lit room, and avoid stimulating noises, lights, and screens. Instead of focusing on getting them to sleep, just work on getting your child into a more relaxed state. It’s okay to throw out the hope for a perfect schedule today – just get through it and get back on track tomorrow.
To get sleep back on track, make sure you are following an age-appropriate sleep schedule. Pay attention to your child’s sleep cues, like when they start to slow down, get quiet, or get glassy-eyed. You want to avoid the point when they cross into a state of overtiredness and get a “second wind” of energy and tears. One of the best things you can do is offer your child an early bedtime to help them reduce their sleep debt and stop the cycle of overtiredness.
If you’re still having trouble breaking out of the cycle of overtiredness with your child, schedule a complimentary discovery call with one of our consultants to discuss how to get your little one back on track.
