Creating a DARK Room For Sleep
By Meg Meadows, Senior Sleep Consultant
Is a Dark Room a Sleep Prop?
First, I want to start off with a really common misconception that I hear all the time. Many, many parents are very resistant to getting the room pitch black because they feel, or they've heard from a family member, that if you get your child used to sleeping in the daylight then they'll have an easier time sleeping anytime, anywhere when you travel or whatnot.
But it is actually the opposite.
It is best to have your child sleeping in an environment that is 100% conducive to sleep so that they build a clear rhythm and pattern in their bodies, in their circadian rhythm and of course their biological clock.
Another reason a dark room is best is because children who are well rested at home are going to be able to more easily handle those bumps in the road, traveling, and other unfavorable conditions when they're out and about. It’s better to go into those situations well rested.
For example: your child gets a nap every single day at 9:00 a.m. and they get a really solid nap. It is much more likely that your baby is gonna be able to sleep easier at 9:00 a.m. if you're on the go, traveling in a car or airplane when the conditions are not perfect. Because they're so used to getting that nap and it's such a strong rhythm in their body and they are well rested, it is more likely that they will get a good sleep in at that time.
And then even if they don't - they can handle that. A little bit of missed sleep is easier to handle if they're going into it well rested.
So, that is a common misconception that I hear and I want you to know that it is better to get the best sleep while you can at home so that when the conditions are less sleep conducive your little one can handle it with ease.
Darkness is a Necessary for Quality Sleep
Why is darkness so beneficial?
Let's talk about the sleep science behind this recommendation. The basis is when our eyes see darkness, it will tell the body to produce a melatonin, which is the sleep hormone. And then when our eyes see daylight of any kind, it is going to tell our bodies to produce cortisol, the alert hormone and signal us to be awake.
At bedtime between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. there is a strong drive to sleep and then as the night goes on you get to those early morning hours.This is when the body begins to produce cortisol naturally, around 4:00 or 5:00 a.m., to begin to wake you up for the day, and it's typically a slow process.
But if your baby sees daylight at all creeping in from the sides of the windows, then it's going to spring them awake faster, and it's going to be much, much harder to fall back asleep in those early morning hours.
There was a study done recently, which was super fascinating, where they swabbed little ones' mouths at bedtime and they checked for cortisol and melatonin and when there was even the dimmest white light in the room, the melatonin level decreased by 95%. I felt like that was pretty fascinating to actually see those numbers!
What about naps?
A dark room is particularly important for naps because you don't have the circadian rhythm driving sleep like you do for bedtime. For naps, all you have is sleep pressure that builds in the time between sleep and then of course that pitch black room to tell them and their little bodies that it is time to sleep.
What about Night feedings?
You may be wondering what to do about those midnight feedings if you're still feeding your little one in the night or you have to go in and check on them. What I recommend is a red or amber light, like a salt lamp - those are my favorite because you can dim them pretty low, and they work perfectly for having to go in for a feeding if you need to check on them at nighttime.
Tips For Creating a DARK Room
So, you hear me? You are ready for getting a pitch black room. It will make a big difference in your little one's sleep, I promise! But getting there can be quite challenging to get that room 100% DARK.
So, what I would recommend is once you think the room is pitch black, I would sit in there for five minutes. Let your eyes adjust and make sure you cannot see your hand in front of your face and you'll be surprised. Sometimes there's lots of different lights creeping in.
My favorite product is the Blackout EZ. It is almost like a window cling; it’s fitted to the exact size of your window and it has a Velcro so you can easily put it up and take it down. You don't have to lose the window forever - it's really nice. In my daughters' rooms, I take it down every single morning so they can get that burst of cortisol. You don't want them to see that daylight until that desired wait time but when it is time to wake you do want them to get that dose of cortisol to help them wake up for the day.
So the Blackout EZ is nice because it's fitted to the exact size of your window, no light creeping in from the sides of the blinds.
And I hear you probably want to sleep like, you know, last month!
But what you can do if you're waiting for your window treatments to come in is black trash bags and painter’s tape over the window. It's not the cutest, but it works and it works very well.
Another option is tinfoil but I would say be mindful with tinfoil. I had a little bit of an issue with mine in that the window I was putting it on was right above the air vents and the air coming up made the tinfoil make this rattling sound. So the best option is the trash bag and painter’s tape. So, you can do that while you're waiting for some blackout blinds to come in and there's all sorts of other little lights that you'll find creeping in, I got all sorts of tricks for that.
So the light that comes in from underneath the door, you can put up a rolled up towel down after you close the door and don't worry, your baby will still have circulation of air in the room.
As long as there's an air vent coming in and getting the air conditioner or the heater in there. So a rolled up towel or what I like is a draft stopper and it's just always there so you don't have to pick it up and put it down - it's a little bit nicer.
Also, for all the little lights that come in from the surge protector or smoke detectors, the baby monitor, etc. What I like to do is get a little piece of black plumber’s tape and put it over those little LED lights and that can help those little lights creeping in.
I hope these tips have helped you and I promise you, your efforts will be worth it to get your child’s room 100% pitch black.
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Sweet Dreams…
Kelly Murray is a certified sleep coach and an award-winning pediatric sleep consultant based in Chicago offering sleep coaching services nationwide.
