Sleep Disorders Children

Is getting proper sleep for your children a concern to you? As grownups we encounter sleep disorders – often attributed to life issues that are unresolved and thus affecting mental processes.  But we have to be aware too that more and more children are experiencing sleep disorders at some point during their childhood. Statistical research has shown an estimated 30% of children who may have experienced such problems. One out of every four children experience short-term or long-term problems in sleeping.If you think your child is one of them, you will want to establish a form of regularity in your child’s sleeping patterns before the problem interferes with thier physical and mental overall development.  There is no need to panic, as treatment can be made available depending on the child’s age and condition.

It would be best to develop a good sleeping habit for your child.  Before doing so, you should understand the reason treating sleep disorders in children should be a big concern.

Most of the children who are deprived of having the recommended number of sleeping hours according to their age do not perform well academically and socially in school. Also, they are more likely to get ill than others who have no such problems.  Their behavior often becomes affected too. That is why a parent should determine the child’s sleeping pattern.

Finding an sleep patterns for you child as a parent may be hard. How old your child is should be considered, too. If the child is a newborn or infant, please be aware that it is common among newborns to have irregular sleep patterns as they easily get distracted by internal and external conditions do to the fact that they are discovering a whole new world.  An infant could even sleep 16 to 17 hours per days, but not continuously most of the time. 

As a child grows up, he should be able to fall asleep in less total time but sleep for longer periods.  Ten to twelve hours daily is normal among preschool-age children.  When your child reaches elementary school, he may get as much as ten hours of sleep nightly until it develops into shorter sleeping hours.  It should be noted that a slight variation from the above-mentioned indications is okay; however, if there is a big difference, you might consider it a warning sign.

Other warning signs may be found in the child’s development and behavior.  Sometimes, an intelligent child may stop doing well in academics and other school activities.  He starts to be irksome and always physically tired.

Nighttime sleep problems come in different forms.  Sleepwalking, sleep disruption, and difficulty of merely getting to sleep are indications.Wetting the bed has been known to happen for children or kids with problems sleeping. 

What you can do is to make sleeping enjoyable for your child.  Have fun rituals that may include storytelling, prayers, brushing, and bathing.  Stay by your child’s side until he’s asleep if he often experiences nightmares. You should note, however, that your child should be able to get used to sleeping in his own bed.  Tell your child what sleep can for his body and be a good example by developing a healthy and regular sleep cycle yourself. If the sleep disorder in your child persists, it might be best to seek out the help of a sleep specialist.  There might be unrecognized causes such as anxiety and depression.

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Tags: sleep deprived children, sleep disorders, sleep problems in children