My child never seems tired

It's likely that your "never tired" child is giving you secret signs of sleepiness. When kids are consistently not getting 10-12 hour of solid sleep each night, their body can stop exhibiting traditional signs of sleepiness. They may actually not feel the feeling of tiredness the way a well-rested child will.

But, don't worry, once you know what to look for, the light bulb will go off and you'll realize that your child has been showing you sleepy signs all along.

Restful signs of sleepiness:

- yawning

- zoning out

- less talkative

- calm demeanor

But, did you know that getting hyper at night is also a sign of sleepiness?
And this is a much more common sign in kids who are overtired. Getting hyper is what happens when your child gets a rush of cortisol. It's like getting a second wind in the evening.

Hyper signs of sleepiness:

- burst of energy

- fussiness

- gets loud

- bouncing off the walls

Once they get that second wind and they get hyper, putting them to bed is nearly impossible. It's like they're at the peak of a roller coaster about to come barreling down and you have to wait until they calm down before their body can rest.

The key is watching them early in the evening to read their secret sleepy signs and then get them to bed before they get on the cortisol roller coaster!