How to Understand Your Children, Sleep Problems Included
When you are trying to have a heart to heart talk with your children, sleep problems may be the last thing on your minds. Children often sleep in a room far from their parents' room. The adults may have no idea what the child is going through during the night. Since nearly 70% of children suffer from some kind of sleep disorder, it is important to learn about your children, sleep problems included.
For children, sleep problems may be extremely frightening. Almost every child will have nightmares at some time, but for some children it is a nightly occurrence. These scary dreams may be associated with stress in the family, traumatic incidents, or simply a break from the child's normal routine. Talk with your children about nightmares and how you might prevent them.
Sleep talking is rarely a difficulty for children. Sleep problems are not usually so harmless as this habit of speaking out during the night. The worst that usually happens is that the child might wake up another child in the room.
For some children, sleep problems can also be very harmful. Sleepwalking can lead a child to wander into unsafe territory. The child might go outside, or even onto a busy street. The most important thing to understand is that most children sleepwalk when they are sleep deprived. Make sure they get plenty of rest.
Many parents have heard of night terrors, but they do not know much about these children's sleep problems unless they see it for themselves. The child will scream or thrash about in his sleep as if he is extremely frightened. When he awakes, he will not remember it at all. Yet, it can be very upsetting to a roommate. Again, one of the keys to preventing these children's sleep problems is to make sure they get plenty of rest.
You should watch out to see if your child snores. In childhood, it might mean that the adenoids or tonsils are enlarged. You may need to see a doctor for those conditions.
A more destructive form of snoring is obstructive sleep apnea. This results when the airway is blocked and the child pauses in breathing. It can cause sleepiness during the day, or hyperactivity. There might be severe medical consequences if the problem is not resolved through treatment. For these children, sleep problems can be dangerous.
One of the most common of children's sleep problems is insomnia. They have trouble getting to sleep, staying asleep, or they awake long before the morning light. If your child has ongoing insomnia, it is best to contact a physician to see if there is another problem. Otherwise, just keep to a steady sleep schedule and the problem should correct itself.
Parents can address their children's sleep problems head-on by talking to the child and anyone who sleeps in the same room. If that does not help, a baby monitor can be set up, or the parent can sleep in the same room to monitor the children, sleep problems in mind. It is better to understand the problem and do something about it than to let your child suffer alone.
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