It’s time for your little one to climb into bed and listen to a good story before they drift off to sleep, but not for the first time this week; they’re simply too full of energy to lie still. Every time you pull up their duvet and tuck them in, they throw it off again and jump out of bed, and then you have to chase them about the room as they giggle and squeal with delight. Eventually, they settle down and fall asleep, and you get a few hours to yourself before heading to bed. And while you relax on the sofa, you wonder where this sudden pre-bedtime burst of energy comes from, whether it’s normal, and if there’s anything you can do about it.

It would seem your little one has entered the ‘forbidden sleep zone’!

What is the forbidden sleep zone?

Many children will experience a second wind of energy one or two hours before their natural bedtime, known as the ‘forbidden sleep zone’. While we originally attributed this hyperactivity to the food ingested at dinnertime, it’s now thought that the sudden energy boost comes from the increased release of thyrotropin, the thyroid-stimulating hormone. It is believed that this hormonal surge had an evolutionary function, as it allowed us to find a place safe from the elements and predators and then fall asleep.

So, what does this mean for you and your toddler?

Well, it means that a couple of hours before your toddler’s bedtime, their body is experiencing a surge of energy that will make falling asleep very difficult, so engaging in energetic play will actually improve their sleep and likely see them fall asleep faster.

Now, this may contradict what you know and what you have previously heard, but there are a great many benefits to this strategy.

Why should I engage my child in energetic play a couple of hours before bed?

Besides the fact that energetic play will coincide with the natural energy boost they experience a little while after eating dinner, the other benefits include:

Burning any pent-up energy before sleep.

Inducing the feel-good factor that exercise promotes

It will further build the connection between you.

Releasing the day’s pent-up emotions and feelings.

Helping you both to forget any of the day’s conflicts or tantrums.

Bedtime will feel much more acceptable to your child.

It would certainly seem that a spell of energetic play before bed could do wonders for your toddler’s nighttime routine, but surely they need a little time to wind down too?

How do you manage a play session, a bath, teeth brushing, and a wind-down story, all in just a couple of hours?

How should I effectively manage the few hours before bed?

After dinner and before you begin the wind-down period of bathtime, teeth-brushing, and a good bedtime story, engage your little one in some fun and energetic play. You could play a game of hide-and-seek, pretend to be the tickle monster and chase them about the living room, or have a dance to their favourite song. It doesn’t need to be anything too strenuous, and you shouldn’t play for more than 30 minutes, but make sure you’re both having fun together and making use of the sudden energy surge. Don’t begin immediately after dinner, as our stomachs need a little time to digest the food we’ve eaten, and we don’t want any messy accidents.

After 20 to 30 minutes, encourage your child to help you put away any toys, then cool down with a glass of water and go about your normal bedtime routine: brushing teeth, putting on pyjamas, face-washing or bathing, before getting into bed, and reading a nice, relaxing story.

To make life a little easier, we’ve come up with a few more games and activities for you and your toddler to engage in when the forbidden sleep zone is upon them:

Have a run around the garden.

Play a few rounds of piggyback in the middle.

Encourage them to ride their tricycle in the garden.

Have a little wrestling match.

It’s important that you don’t sit down on the sofa and turn the TV on, as the screen’s light prevents the onset of melatonin, the body’s natural sleep-inducing hormone.

What is the 'forbidden sleep zone'?

On Unii’s Toddler Sleep Journey, we explain the 'forbidden sleep zone.'