You've reached the end of another day in your new life as a parent. But as the sun begins to set, you feel the worry set in too.
Night-time anxiety, also known as the sunset scaries or sundown scaries, is common in the postnatal period (also known as the postpartum period).
Nights with a newborn can be unpredictable and lonely. If you feel a wave of anxiety, overwhelm, or even dread worrying about how the night ahead will go, you’re not alone.
In our PANDA survey 2025, many parents shared that their symptoms of perinatal anxiety got worse at night.
We explore what can contribute to night-time anxiety with a newborn, tips to manage it, and how to get help when you need it.
“At 4pm, I’d start to think about what was ahead. I’d be terrified to be up ten times a night because I could barely cope and I needed the sleep.”
“In the first weeks after my son was born, I experienced overwhelming anxiety and fear while the sun went down as I anticipated the sleepless night that was coming. Even though my husband was in the room next door, I felt so alone feeding and settling our son in the middle of the night.”
Read Zoe's experience of night-time anxiety
Zoe’s story: Challenges with baby’s sleep and night-time anxiety
What causes postnatal anxiety at night?
Everyone gets stressed over different things. What’s hard for one parent might not feel as hard for you. These are just some factors that can contribute to night-time anxiety for parents in the postnatal or postpartum period:
- Increased fussiness during the ‘witching hour’ (especially during the peak of newborn crying, believed to be around two months old)
- Worrying about whether baby will sleep and how much sleep you’ll get (especially during 'milestones’ that can impact baby’s sleep)
- Worrying about baby’s health and safety (e.g. fear around Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS)
- Worrying about overnight feeds (e.g. having issues with breastfeeding, bottle feeding, or baby’s weight gain)
- Worrying about a change in routine (e.g. if moved out of swaddle or sleepsuit, or from bassinet to cot)
- Increased feelings of isolation and loneliness at night (this can be especially true for some sole parents or for parents with a partner who works away from home and/or isn’t involved in the overnight routine)
- Worrying about baby waking other children, or worrying that one baby will wake the other (for parents of multiples).
“I got extremely anxious when the sun would set. I got anxious about how the night would go sleep-wise and if my baby would die of SIDS. I would be so anxious that I couldn't sleep despite being sleep-deprived.”
“I dreaded post-dinner time. I felt nervous every evening knowing I was going to be met with resistance and an unsettled night. The anxiety was strong. I was exhausted just thinking about how tired and frustrated I was going to be. It felt like Groundhog Day.”
How to manage night-time anxiety in the postnatal period
If you feel stressed, overwhelmed, or anxious as the sun sets, adding some self-care and social support to your routine might help.
Some ways to support your wellbeing at night might include:
- Go for an afternoon walk to reset, get some fresh air, and release some nervous energy
- Make an afternoon playlist of relaxing and/or uplifting music
- Create a quick ‘night-time transition ritual’ to have something positive and calming to look forward to (e.g. make a cup of tea, light a candle, or do a 5-minute meditation, breathing or grounding exercise, or gentle stretch)
- Text a loved one or another parent who ‘gets it’
- Access peer support like the Gidget Virtual Village, a moderated Facebook community where you can connect with other parents who may also be awake through the night
- Read or say affirmations to yourself, such as:
- “I can do this. One night at a time.”
- “I am safe. This feeling is temporary.”
- “We will get through this night just as we have every other night.”
- “This feels hard because it is hard. I’m doing important work for my baby.”
- “There are millions of other mums/dads/parents around the world awake with me tonight.”
“When I was up at all hours with my baby, I’d remind myself of the facts: this was just a phase, and I would get a full night’s sleep again.”
“I felt encouraged one night when I messaged my mum’s group at 3am and received a dozen responses from other mums straight away. It felt nice to know I wasn’t the only one awake and I wasn’t alone.”
Some ways to help make your night routine a bit easier might include:
- Prep dinner earlier in the day or buy premade meals or ready-to-go ingredients like frozen vegetables
- Use earplugs to slightly reduce the volume of baby’s crying if you find it distressing
- Have water, snacks, and comfort activities on hand (e.g. your favourite podcast or TV show ready to go)
- Consider how you can share responsibilities with a partner or have a support person stay and help overnight (e.g. share feeds, split nights in half, try a night on/night off arrangement)
- Seek emotional support from family and friends via call, videochat, or text
- Seek professional advice from overnight support services such as Parentline, 13 HEALTH, Nurse on Call, or the helplines listed below.
“I pre-planned as much as I could. I made dinner earlier in the day so when witching hour hit, I had time to pop bub in the pram for a walk and fresh air, which helped immensely. I'd shower and make sure everything was ready for bub's bedtime routine and overnight wakings. This meant once bub was asleep, I didn't have to do anything except chill out or bank a couple hours of sleep before the relentless night-time wakings commenced.”
“My husband and I would order takeaway and watch silly comedy movies to get through the witching hour. Looking forward to a nice dinner and some mindless laughs really helped.”
You’re not alone: Support for perinatal anxiety
While night-time anxiety is common in the newborn period, this doesn’t mean you just have to live with these feelings. You deserve support through the ups and downs of your early parenting journey, and you don’t have to reach crisis point to reach out.
“Accept all offers of help to make that particular part of the day easier. That time in your life where you and your family are struggling around sleep isn't forever, especially if you seek help with it. Be kind to yourself and know that this difficult period will settle over time.”
Some signs it might be time to seek some extra support might be if:
- Your sleep is impacted (e.g. you’re unable to sleep even when baby sleeps)
- Your appetite is impacted
- Your ability to care for yourself and/or your baby is impacted
- Your relationship with your partner and/or other children is impacted
- You feel like your usual strategies and supports aren’t helping
- You want to talk about your feelings to someone outside your social circles
- You're relying on alcohol or drugs to cope
- You’re having thoughts of ‘escaping’ your life
- You’re having thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
- You want professional help finding strategies to manage your mental health.
“The sun will come back out from behind the clouds again. Do a few things during the day to help make the evenings/witching hour more manageable, and support is always available at PANDA. Decompressing to an understanding and compassionate Peer Practitioner on the other end of the phone that has also gone through this can make a world of difference.”
PANDA National Helpline
You can reach out to PANDA for support during pregnancy and the first 12 months after your baby’s birth.
Our free, confidential Helpline is delivered by trained clinical and peer practitioners who create a safe, understanding space to share how you’re feeling and access support. They can help you find ways to manage feelings of anxiety.
Phone: 1300 726 306 (9am - 7:30pm Mon-Fri & 9am - 4pm Sat, AEST/AEDT)
Overnight support services
Lifeline – 24/7 crisis support
Call: 13 11 14
Text: 0477 13 11 14
Chat: Follow instructions on this webpage
13YARN – 24/7 crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
Call: 13 92 76
Beyond Blue – 24/7 crisis support
Call: 1300 224 636
Chat: Follow instructions on this webpage
Miracle Babies Nurtureline – 24/7 peer support for families with unwell or premmie babies
Call: 1300 622 243
Parentline (6am-midnight AEST, QLD and NT) - Free phone and online counselling for parents and carers in QLD and NT
Call: 1300 301 300
“Every little person is unique and has different needs, and if you do what you can to meet them where they are, then you are doing an amazing job.”
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Read Zoe's experience of night-time anxiety