When people talk about circadian rhythm, it’s most often in the context of sleep. Circadian rhythms are the daily rhythms of the body, including signals that make someone feel tired and ready for sleep or awake and alert around the same time each day. When it gets dark, your brain interprets this as a signal to start producing melatonin which triggers relaxation, paving the way for sleep. At sunrise the signal alters, we stop producing melatonin, our body temperature increases and we produce cortisol that makes us more alert and ready for a new day.

The development of the circadian rhythm is completely biological. A baby’s circadian rhythm will mature when the neurobiological process in their brain are complete. Just as we are all unique individuals, the development and maturity of this is unique to each individual baby but scientists have established that a baby’s sleep pattern is most likely to occur around 2 – 4 months, when they will begin to distinguish between day and night.