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The Sleep Edit

The Sleep Edit

By: Craig Canapari MD & Arielle Greenleaf
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Join Dr. Craig Canapari and Arielle Greenleaf as they explore the intricacies of children's sleep issues with clarity and a touch of levity. They'll unpack the science behind sleep and offer evidence-based strategies to improve nighttime routines. As the director of Yale's Pediatric Sleep Center and an accomplished author, Dr. Canapari brings a wealth of knowledge, while Arielle's expertise as a Pediatric Sleep Consultant provides practical insights for parents seeking tranquility at bedtime. Together, they're your guides to better sleep for your little ones—and for you.© 2026 Evidence Based Parenting LLC Hygiene & Healthy Living Parenting & Families Relationships
Episodes
  • Debunking Bad Online Sleep Advice

    Debunking Bad Online Sleep Advice
    May 31 2026
    Your child's cortisol is not a problem you need to manage — and most of the scary sleep advice that says otherwise is built on a misreading of the science. Craig and Arielle take on the claims that spread fastest online and hold up worst: the "overtired baby floods with cortisol" story, rigid wake windows, the 3-6-9 rule and the Wonder Weeks, magnesium lotions, melatonin as a quick fix, and the "biologically correct" 7 p.m. bedtime. It's an episode about why simple, absolute rules go viral while real answers — nuanced, and dependent on your actual child — do not. They close on the hardest question a tired parent faces: in an unregulated field full of confident strangers, how do you tell a trustworthy sleep expert from a good marketer?Key TakeawaysThe "overtired child floods with cortisol and can't sleep" claim gets the science backwards. Poor sleep can nudge cortisol up, but cortisol is a marker of inadequate sleep, not its cause — and it is not something parents need to manage at home.The Middlemiss (2012) study used to argue that sleep training is harmful had no control group and studied infants in an unfamiliar inpatient setting, nothing like sleep training at home. Better-controlled work, including Gradisar's randomized trial, found infant cortisol did not rise after sleep training. A few hard nights are brief, harmless stress — not the chronic toxic stress that genuinely affects development.Wake windows describe something real — sleep drive builds the longer a child is awake — but the rigid, age-based formulas online are not research-based. Watch the child in front of you and their 24-hour sleep totals, not a chart. "Average" sleep needs span wide ranges and were never meant as individual targets.Magnesium lotions have no evidence they do anything; melatonin is a hormone, not a routine fix for healthy children, and should follow behavioral changes and a conversation with your pediatrician. Melatonin is now the most common substance U.S. children accidentally ingest — store it like medication.For most children before puberty, a bedtime roughly between 7:30 and 8:30 works well; an artificially early bedtime mostly manufactures bedtime battles. And the pediatrician is the first stop for sleep questions — "evidence-based" has become a marketing phrase, so ask any consultant how they actually make decisions.LinksStudies & researchMiddlemiss et al. (2012), Early Human Development — the cortisol/extinction study commonly cited against sleep training. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2011.08.010Gradisar et al. (2016), Pediatrics — randomized controlled trial; infant cortisol did not rise after graduated extinction or bedtime fading. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-1486Tuladhar et al. (2021), Journal of Sleep Research — infant diurnal cortisol and sleep. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13357Earlier bedtimes and child sleep — systematic review of 45 studies, JAMA Pediatrics. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2795862Pediatric Melatonin Ingestions, United States, 2012–2021 — CDC MMWR. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7122a1.htmIglowstein I, Jenni OG, Molinari L, Largo RH. Sleep duration from infancy to adolescence: reference values and generational trends. Pediatrics. 2003 Feb;111(2):302-7. doi: 10.1542/peds.111.2.302. PMID: 12563055.Further reading on cortisol, sleep training, attachment, and online misinformation:Bilgin & Wolke (2020), Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry — "cry it out" and attachment/behavioral development at 18 months. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13223Davis & Kramer (2021), Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry — commentary on Bilgin & Wolke (2020). https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13390Spangler & Grossmann (1993), Child Development — biobehavioral organization in securely and insecurely attached infants. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1993.tb02962.xRamos et al. (2025), Scientific Reports — mother-infant cortisol levels and maternal childhood adversity. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-28548-8Immeli, Douglas & Kolho (2026), Acta Paediatrica — misinformation and the medicalisation of infant health care in the social media era. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.70468"Guided by Routine and Nurturance: How Parent Characteristics Shape Online Infant Health Information Seeking" — PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41622498/Craig's articlesShould My Child Take Melatonin? A Guide for Parents — https://drcraigcanapari.com/should-my-child-take-melatonin-a-guide-for-parents/Melatonin Overdoses Are on the Rise: Why Parents Should Worry — https://drcraigcanapari.com/melatonin-overdoses-are-on-the-rise-why-parents-should-worry/Should You Give Your Child L-Theanine for Sleep? — https://drcraigcanapari.com/should-you-give-your-child-l-theanine-for-sleep/Resources & past episodes mentionedThe Sleep Edit, Episode 12: Melatonin and Magnesium, Oh My — https://sleepedit.show/episodes/episode-12-...
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    53 mins
  • Episode 18: Your Questions, Answered

    Episode 18: Your Questions, Answered
    Apr 22 2026
    We opened the mailbag. Craig and Arielle grouped dozens of listener questions by theme and worked through them — covering infant sleep and the SNOO, night wakings that seem to defy logic, 4 AM toddler wake-ups, bedtime resistance, a 5-year-old with "bad dreams" that aren't actually scary, daycare nap chaos, and a rapid-fire round on floor beds, crib-to-bed transitions, and whether you have to sleep train at all. Some of it is practical, some is reassuring, and a few answers hinge on the difference between a behavior problem and a medical one.Key TakeawaysSafe sleep comes first. In the first six months especially: flat, firm surface; room-share without bed-share; no soft bedding. If an infant genuinely can't tolerate lying flat, that's a pediatrician conversation, not a sleep-training one.When night wakings look random on the "same" schedule, average total sleep over seven days. Clock-time schedules can hide big variation in actual sleep amounts — and total sleep is what the child's body is optimizing against.A pattern of 4–5 hours of solid sleep followed by wakings every 2–3 hours almost always points to a sleep-onset association. If your child falls asleep with you present, they tend to need you present to transition between each subsequent sleep cycle.The right order for night weaning, room transition, and sleep training: get the baby into their own sleep space first, then address feeding, then sleep train. Don't layer sleep training on an unresolved feeding problem, and don't put an infant on a floor bed.A toddler whose sleep is consistently wrecked by mild congestion deserves a look for obstructive sleep apnea — especially if they snore when well. Benadryl only "works" because it sedates; it doesn't dry up viral secretions, and OTC cough/cold products aren't recommended under 6.You don't have to sleep train. If your child and household are sleeping well enough, there's nothing to fix. Sleep training is a tool for when someone in the house is suffering — not a milestone to hit.LinksStudies, articles & postsIs Room Sharing in Infancy Necessary for Safe Sleep in 2024? – Dr. CanapariCo-Sleeping in Infancy: Bed-Sharing Is Not Safe – Dr. CanapariSleep-onset associations: toddler night wakings and how to fix them – Dr. CanapariWhy does my toddler wake up at night? – Dr. CanapariToddler early morning awakenings: what to do about them – Dr. CanapariIs your toddler screaming at bedtime? A concrete plan for bedtime resistance – Dr. CanapariNapping problems in toddlers and preschoolers – Dr. CanapariWhat to do about nap strikes – Dr. CanapariThe bedtime pass: a great technique for older kids – Dr. CanapariHuggy Puppy: my favorite treatment for nighttime fears – Dr. CanapariHow to stop co-sleeping so you and your child can sleep better – Dr. CanapariSleep training in a coughing child – Dr. CanapariObstructive sleep apnea in children – Dr. CanapariAAP safe sleep recommendations (2022 update) — room sharing without bed sharing, flat firm surface, no soft bedding, ideally through the first 6–12 monthsStudy showing benefits of outdoor play for sleep in Japanese Toddlers Murata E, Yoshizaki A, Fujisawa TX, Tachibana M, Taniike M, Mohri I. What daily factors affect the sleep habits of Japanese toddlers? J Clin Sleep Med. 2023 Jun 1;19(6):1089-1101. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.10508. PMID: 36789883; PMCID: PMC10235708.People & books mentionedBecome Your Child's Sleep Coach: The Bedtime Doctor's 5-Step Guide, Ages 3-10 – Lynelle Schneeberg PsyDThe Happiest Baby on the Block – Harvey Karp MDGet in touch & next stepsArielle's free 24-hour sleep guide: https://expect-to-sleep.kit.com/24hrsleepSubmit Listener Feedback and Questions Here
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    58 mins
  • Episode 17: Our Sleep Stacks and Routines in 2026

    Episode 17: Our Sleep Stacks and Routines in 2026
    Feb 18 2026
    Episode 17 – Show NotesOur Sleep Routines in 2026 | The Sleep EditCraig and Arielle take a turn in the hot seat this week — sharing their own sleep habits, gear, and personal struggles. From frigid bedrooms and weighted blankets to trazodone, magnesium, and light therapy glasses, this episode is part confessional, part practical guide.They also dig into CBT-I for insomnia, the phenomenon of orthosomnia (when sleep tracking makes your sleep worse), what melatonin actually does at a low dose, and how to think about supplements when the evidence is thin but the risk is low.Timestamps4:23 — Our personal sleep histories6:36 — Restless leg syndrome & childhood sleep anxiety8:50 — Psychophysiologic insomnia & CBT-I explained11:00 — Bedtime boxes & stimulus control for kids12:50 — Sleep tracking: Oura Ring vs. Apple Watch16:20 — Orthosomnia — when tracking makes sleep worse18:32 — How your tracker score affects how you feel the next day19:00 — Sleep environment: cold rooms, darkness, white noise22:52 — Sleep masks, weighted blankets (Bearaby), and pillows27:00 — Light-up alarm clocks (Philips, Hatch)29:00 — AYO light therapy glasses & circadian entrainment32:00 — Nighttime routines: DND, showers, reading34:40 — Why a hot shower helps you sleep (the science)36:00 — Craig's meditation practice & pre-bed habits39:20 — Arielle's history with insomnia & trazodone41:10 — What sleep medications actually do (and don't do)44:17 — Magnesium glycinate — the evidence47:35 — L-theanine — even less evidence, still worth trying?48:11 — Melatonin: Craig's 1mg dose & the heart failure study52:00 — How we're actually sleeping in 2026Key TakeawaysBoth hosts have struggled with sleep throughout their lives — and that's part of why they do this work.Sleep anxiety in children (and adults) responds well to CBT-I; the behavioral components are often more important than the cognitive ones.Sleep trackers are best used to observe trends, not to optimize nightly metrics. Fixating on scores can cause orthosomnia — anxiety that worsens the very sleep it's supposed to measure.A cold bedroom (ideally 60–67°F), darkness, and quiet are the most evidence-based environmental changes you can make.A warm shower or bath before bed works by triggering a drop in core body temperature — the direction of change matters, not just the temperature itself.Magnesium glycinate and L-theanine have limited but plausible supporting data; more importantly, they're safe at typical doses. Use third-party tested brands.Melatonin is a hormone — more is not better. Craig uses 1mg. A 2024 conference abstract linking long-term melatonin use to heart failure has significant methodological limitations, was not peer-reviewed, and is not cause for alarm at low doses in otherwise healthy adults.Trazodone is a reasonable long-term option for some people with chronic insomnia. It's not habit-forming, increases slow-wave sleep, and has a stable side-effect profile — but it's still a tool, not a substitute for good sleep habits. Note: AYO glasses recommend a 20-minute morning session (not 10 minutes as mentioned in the episode).LinksCraig's gear & supplementsAYO Light Therapy GlassesBearaby Weighted BlanketOura RingMagnesium Glycinate 500mgNature's Trove L-TheanineMelatonin 1mgConsumerLab.com — third-party supplement testing (subscription ~$60/yr)Craig's posts & calculatorsMagnesium for Kids' Sleep – Dr. CanapariMelatonin & Heart Failure Study – Dr. CanapariMelatonin Dosing Calculator for Children – Dr. CanapariClinicians & resources mentionedDr. Shelby Harris – CBT-I specialistDr. Lynelle Schneeberg – Become Your Child's Sleep Coach: The Bedtime Doctor's 5-Step Guide, Ages 3–10Book on AmazonOrthosomnia – original paper by Dr. Kelly Baron (J Clin Sleep Med, 2017)CBT-I Coach App (VA) — free, useful for teens 12+ and adultsArielle's website & resourcesExpect to SleepFree 24-Hour Sleep Guide (Arielle)Contact Listener questions: sleepeditpod@gmail.com
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    51 mins
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