The Most Common Sleeping Disorders In Children   by Sandy Rutherforde

in Health    (submitted 2011-12-23)

Sleeping disorders in children are one of the common concerns of parents of school age children. Kids require at least 9 hours of sleep each night. Lack of sleep can have an impact on a child's performance in school and also in their extracurricular activities negatively. Additionally, a child who awakens frequently at night or goes to bed unwillingly can be cranky, moody, and disruptive to the family. Physicians and psychologist estimate that about 30% of children may have sleeping disorders at some point during childhood.

Signs of sleeping disorders could include problems in staying awake during the day, unexplained decrease in day time activity performance, trouble with sleeping during the night and snoring. Parents and teachers who detect these symptoms in a child's behavior must promptly seek out help from a child psychologist or doctor. Sleeping disorders in children can not simply bring about concentration, learning, performance and behavior problems; they could be responsible for accidents and injuries.

There are various types of sleep disorders and they call for different treatments. The common kinds include the following:

Night time bed wetting is actually a common sleep issue in children ages 6-12. It might be associated with families that have a history of this problem. It may not be a sign of a serious problem but may be an indication of emotional stress. Treatment could involve reinforcement and responsibility training. In the event that it has been established that stress is creating the issue, giving counseling to handle the problems could help alleviate the bed wetting.

Sleep walking is common among 8-12 year olds. Generally, the child may sit up in bed with their eyes open but not see and may walk around the house. Kids grow out of sleep walking by adolescence. In situations like this, safety measures really should be taken by letting the child use a bed room on the first floor. Waking up the child routinely at certain times may reduce if not eliminate occurrences.

Night terrors are sudden emotional outbursts, fear, and motor activity. It occurs with kids ages 4-8 while asleep. The child might have no memory of the night terror. It might not be necessary to wake the child who has night terrors, just ensure that he or she is comfortable. In extreme instances, medical intervention might be needed.

The following tips are advised for addressing sleeping disorders in children. A normal bed and getting up time need to be established for the child that should not greatly differ from weekday to weekend. He or she should not be offered any kind of food and drinks with caffeine 6 hours before bedtime. Large meals close to bedtime need to be eliminated. Infants and children should be put to bed when they already seem tired even though still awake rather than permitting them to fall asleep in the parent's arms. Be certain the noise levels in your house are low when it is time for the child to go to bed.

About the Author

Are you looking for solutions to adult bedwetting? Be sure to visit I Can't Sleep At Night for information on the treatment of adult bed wetting.