As soon as we get pregnant we hear, “You better get some sleep now because after the baby comes, you’ll never sleep again.” New parents hear this time and time again therefore getting little sleep while parenting is expected, however, when is too little sleep officially a negative thing? If you are not getting enough sleep because once your child falls asleep that is when you have time to get everything done, that is one thing, but are you not sleeping because your child isn’t sleeping? Are you starting to get worried that the endearing phase of not wanting to sleep has gone too far and may now be negatively impacting your child’s overall sleep?
A pediatric sleep specialist will be able to help you decipher what signs to look for in your children for sleep disorders, how to encourage better sleep, and learn when you might want to involve a specialist so that you and especially your child can start getting better sleep.
Sleep Disorders in Children
Sleep disorders are conditions that disturb normal sleep patterns. Without undisturbed, restful sleep, children can suffer negative effects in development and overall mood throughout the day. Here are some of the most common sleep disorders that affect children.
Sleep Apnea in Children
About twenty-seven percent of children snore. Snoring can be caused by large or swollen tonsils and adenoids, obesity, congestion, allergies, asthma, and a variety of other things. This can become an issue if the snoring is so loud that the child is waking themselves up or you notice that the child is having difficulty breathing, which could mean the child has sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is marked by constant lapses in a child’s breath during the night. Each lapse, called apneas, can happen multiple times throughout the night when an airway becomes blocked. Sleep apnea can cause a child to have fragmented sleep and not get a full night’s rest.
Nocturnal Enuresis (Bedwetting) in Children
Nocturnal enuresis is involuntary urination that happens at night while sleeping, after the age when a person should be able to control his or her bladder (usually after six years old). Waking up due to wetting the bed will interrupt a child’s sleep.
Insomnia in Children
Insomnia refers to the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep during the night or waking up too early in the morning. Insomnia usually occurs in three different patterns for children. During the Onset pattern, the child has a difficult time falling asleep altogether. During the Middle pattern, the child wakes up throughout the night and cannot sleep for long periods of time. During the Terminal pattern, the child wakes up very early in the morning.
Nightmares in Children
A nightmare is a disturbing dream associated with negative feelings, such as anxiety or fear that awakens you. Children that have nightmares are usually awoken and have difficulty going back to sleep due to being shaken up. These can cause anxiety around sleep for children due to the fear that they may have another nightmare when they go to sleep. Nightmares typically occur in the early morning hours.
Night Terrors in Children
A night terror is a sleep disruption that seems similar to a nightmare but is far more dramatic. Night terrors can be characterized as episodes of screaming, intense fear, flailing, shouting, thrashing, or sleepwalking for a few minutes before going back to sleep. These typically occur within 1-3 hours of falling asleep. It is likely that the child who had the night terror will not recall it. They may only be made aware of it by others who saw the episode. While it can be scary to see, these events are not so hazardous to anyone, but they can affect sleep quality.
Restless Leg Syndrome in Children
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sleep disorder in which a person gets creepy crawling sensations in their legs at night and can cause problems falling asleep. 80-90% of patients with RLS will have limb movements in their sleep, which could wake a child.
Sleep Walking and Talking in Children
Pediatric sleepwalking is when a child gets up during sleep but is unaware of their actions. They may have whole conversations with you but will not recognize you. Children in this state can be agitated and upset, but they will not remember anything that happened during the episode in the morning. Children that sleeptalk may also speak so loudly that they wake themselves up.
Why Are Sleep Disorders in Children a Concern?
Sleep disorders in children can be a large concern because they interrupt a child’s sleep throughout the night. Sleep plays a crucial role in a child’s development having a direct effect on a child’s alertness, happiness, mood, vocabulary, learning, and memory consolidation.
Constant interruptions through the night due to any of the above sleep disorders could mean that your child will not be able to complete the full sleep cycles so imperative to their growth.
Some symptoms that could occur when a child does not get the appropriate amount of sleep include mood swings and even hyperactivity which could mimic signs of ADHD.
How Can Parents Encourage Better Sleep
With infants, it can be difficult to encourage better sleep, but our main advice would be sticking to a schedule, creating a calming routine, and creating a dark and cool sleeping environment.
In toddlers, more can be done to encourage healthy sleep. Start with creating a bedtime routine that encourages calming down such as taking a bath, reading a book, playing a sound machine, and limiting light. Try limiting screen time for a few hours before bed as well. Make sure that toys and distractions are not in the bed and that outside distractions, such as a pet, do not have access to the room.
When to Involve a Pediatric Sleep Specialist
If you see that your child is experiencing signs of a sleep disorder and you have tried to create a better sleep schedule, but your child is still faced with some of the above symptoms, it might be time to speak to a pediatrician or a pediatric sleep specialist.
A Pediatric Sleep Specialist can help your family understand what disorder your child may have and help you treat it so that you and your family can get better sleep.
Pediatric Sleep Specialist in Charlotte, NC
At Gingras Sleep Medicine, Dr. Jeannine Gingras has provided the highest quality sleep medicine care to patients of all ages. She is highly qualified to offer quality comprehensive, innovative, and compassionate sleep service care to individuals from infancy (including preterm) and childhood to adolescence, adult, and older adults.
As a member of the American Sleep Disorders Association, Society for Pediatric Research (Emeritus), Dr. Gingras is uniquely qualified to help you and your child treat sleep disorders. Contact us today to make an appointment at (704) 944-0562.