Babies' body clock

This page is part of a collection of short articles called Brief & simple, which together make up a quick summary of The Possums Sleep Program in plain language. For comprehensive information and support, please go to The essentials section of The Possums Sleep Program, and begin to work your way through the program's online text and videos.

Sleep (for all humans) is controlled by

• The body clock (also known as the circadian clock)

• Sleep pressure

The body clock is set by daylight and activity. It tells your body when it is night and day - when it is time to be sleep or be awake. Your baby's body clock takes a few weeks to develop after birth. You can help your baby's body clock get in sync with yours by having your baby nap in the middle of lots of daylight noise and activity during the day.

Acknowledgements

I'm grateful to Professor Sophie Havighurst, Ros June, and Caroline Ma at Mindful, The University of Melbourne, for their feedback on the articles in the Brief & simple section of The Possums Sleep Program. They helped to keep the language plain and the concepts as accessible as possible. For comprehensive information and support, please go to The essentials section of The Possums Sleep Program, and begin to work your way through the program's online text and videos.

Recommended resources

The body clock: baby regulator #1 which sends your baby to sleep