Normal child sleep habits, according to the University of Michigan Health System, include "cycles between light sleep and deep sleep." The cycles last for 50 to 60 minutes, allowing the possibility of waking during the light sleep periods. Newborns sleep off and on during the day and night for six to eight hours at a time. At six months, babies sleep 10 to 12 hours at night, according to the Health System. School-age children require 9 to 12 hours of sleep each night.
Napping
Newborn children up to three months should nap as many times as necessary during the day and night. Babies aged nine months to a year should have two naps each day, while at 18 months, they will need one or two. Toddlers aged two to three years require one nap a day, according to the University of Michigan Health Services. Once children reach age four, naps should not be necessary for most children who sleep soundly each night. Children must have ample sleep at night in order to stay alert during the day. Babies require an average of 13 to 16 hours of sleep each night. Toddlers' needs average from 12 to 13 hours, and elementary school-age children need at least 10 hours each night. Teens require an average of 9.5 to 10 hours of quiet rest every night, according to the University of Michigan Health System.
Parasomnias
The Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center describes "parsomnias" as a "broad spectrum of sleep disorders that most often occur during sleep and are most often infrequent." Parasomnias, or disruptive sleep-related problems, include night terrors, nightmares, restless leg syndrome, bed wetting and sleepwalking. Bruxism, also known as teeth grinding, is also a form of parasomnias, as is periodic limb movement disorder, also known as PLMD and nocturnal myoclonus. The University of Michigan Health System states that parasomnia events are "usually not too serious." When the sleep disruption interferes with peaceful rest over a significant period of time, a professional should be consulted to treat the problem.
Sleep Onset Delay & Associations
Sleep onset delay and sleep associations help and hinder sound sleep. Sleep associations center around an object or action that the child associates with sleep. This item varies with the child and family and may include the presence of a blanket or pacifier or an action such as rocking in a chair, reading a favorite book or listening to a song. While these actions often help the child in sleeping, the child may not be able to fall asleep when the object or action is absent, according to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Treatment of sleep onset delay due to an association involves a gradual change in the child's sleeping habits.
References
- PubMed: Sleep habits and sleep disturbances in elementary school-aged children; J.A. Owens, et al; Feb., 2000
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep
- University of Michigan Health System: Sleep Problems
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center: Sleep Disorder Glossary: Sleep Onset Association Disorder
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center: Sleep Disorder Glossary: Parasomnias
