While a red night light is a perfect addition to your wind-down routine, overnight feeds, or nappy changes, allowing your baby to sleep with one all night interferes with their production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates their sleep-wake cycles. Melatonin levels typically rise in the evening in response to darkness, signalling their body to prepare for sleep. However, exposure to light, especially blue light, can suppress melatonin production, disrupt their natural sleep-wake cycles, and signal them to wake throughout the night.
Additionally, exposure to light overnight can also affect your baby’s cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone that helps regulate their stress response and energy levels throughout the day. Normally, cortisol levels decrease in the afternoon to facilitate the onset of sleep. However, exposure to artificial light at night, such as from a night light, can disrupt this natural decline in cortisol, potentially causing difficulties with your baby falling asleep and staying asleep.
While red lights don’t usually* interfere with melatonin production, cortisol levels still rise with exposure to 🔵 OR 🔴 light.
Instead:
💡Use warm amber lights for your wind-down routine instead of white LED lights.
💡Only use a red night light overnight when necessary, before turning it off once you put your baby back down for sleep.
Mum tip!
👻 If nightmares or night terrors emerge, typically closer to the age of 2 years old, it is important to maintain consistency in your approach. Introducing a night light during this period, regardless of its colour, may only reinforce your baby’s fears and elevate their cortisol levels, thereby increasing their susceptibility to additional overnight wakes. Questions? Drop them in the comments below ♡