Many parents are firm believers in near blackout conditions to promote good sleep. Sleeping in a darkened room certainly does help most babies and children sleep well and the reason is all down to their biological clocks.

Internal clocks and hormones

The reason for better sleeping in the dark is that every child has their own internal circadian clock, which is situated in an area of the brain called the hypothalamus. This inner clock helps them to distinguish between night and day. In order for it to work effectively, the clock needs external clues such as light and darkness, noise levels and mealtimes. It also responds to conditions within a child’s body, such as temperature, hunger and hormone levels.

The hormone most associated with the circadian clock and with sleep is called melatonin. We all produce this sleep hormone but babies and young children make it in much larger amounts than adults. In fact as we get older, it is believed that our levels of melatonin drop. This might explain why many elderly people sleep less at night, and tend to snooze during the day.

Melatonin is produced mainly in darkness and when it is light, the levels of melatonin drop. For the production of healthy amounts of this essential hormone, babies and children need to experience both lightness and darkness in a 24 period.

Not only is melatonin responsible for good sleep: It is thought that it also helps to strengthen a baby’s immune system – so it makes sense to maximise your child’s potential for producing it.

So what is the right level of darkness?

In terms of maximizing melatonin production, then the answer has to be, the darker the better. Having said that; I believe that it is ok to have some degree of light in a child’s bedroom at night. The main reason for this is that as a loving parent, you will want to check on your baby from time to time when they are sleeping. It can be very disruptive if you keep having to turn the light on of course. Another argument for not sleeping in total darkness is that if your child can only sleep under these conditions, it may be difficult for them when they are expected to sleep with a bit of ambient light – on holiday for instance [although if you’ve got a Gro Anywhere Blind, this won’t be a problem for you.] And of course, those children who develop a dislike or even a fear of the dark as they get older will need a little bit of light in the room for reassurance.

As with so many aspects of parenting, a sensible and moderate approach is needed when it comes to deciding on the levels of light in your child’s room. Make sure that as part of their routine, they spend time out of doors, experiencing daylight and then offer a contrast to this by putting them to bed in a much reduced level of light. A very soft night light, such as the Gro Egg [which is also a room thermometer] will allow you to check that your child is sleepy safely. If used in a room which would otherwise be totally dark, the Gro Egg will still allow your child to produce essential levels of melatonin.

How will they know when it is morning?

If the levels of darkness in your child’s room are kept at a constant level by you, it can be difficult for them to know when it is time to wake up. This is because the usual daytime signifier of gradually increasing light at dawn is absent. Babies will tend to wake up in their own time and will rarely oversleep just because it is dark, but it is still a good idea to open their curtains or blind before getting them out of the cot in the morning.

With toddlers and older children, the tendency is often for early waking – even if the room is kept very dark. These little early risers need to be given a very clear message of when getting up time is. The Gro Clock offers a simple clue to getting up time, by changing its face from a moon to a sun in the morning, at a time pre set by you.

So babies and young children need to sleep in the dark and by allowing yours to recognise the altering light levels of night and day, you will help to promote healthy sleeping habits.