There are many types of sleep problems, and if your child experiences any of them, it can affect him in a variety of ways. For his overall health, well being and happiness, as well as your own, figuring out the cause and helping your child overcome his sleep issues is critical.
Significance
Sleep disorders are a common concern of parents, because children who don't sleep through the night can disrupt the whole family. A sleep problem is simply a pattern that is not satisfactory to the child, parent or doctor. Parents of babies always wonder when their children will sleep through the night. Nearly all newborns wake during the night, but only 20 percent to 30 percent of 6-month-olds. However, just because a child starts sleeping through the night doesn't mean he always will; one-third of children up to 4 years old keep waking up during the night and need a parent's help to go back to sleep.
Results
A child who doesn't get enough sleep will be tired, cranky, irritable, unhappy, inattentive, perhaps hyperactive and often have trouble in school. All of that can affect other family members, too. As a result, it's best to determine what's causing your child's sleep problems, with the help of his doctor, as early as possible, so a solution can be found.
Types
While childhood sleep problems are fairly common, there are basically two types. With one type, a polysomnography, or sleep test graph, is abnormal, as with sleep apnea, narcolepsy or parasomnia. In the other case, the sleep problem is normal and simply behavior-related. Parasomnias, such as sleep terrors, sleepwalking and bed-wetting, seem to be related to immaturity of the central nervous system, so children often outgrow them. Behavioral sleep problems are usually overcome with parental intervention.
Normal Sleep
Some parents think their child has a sleep disorder when it's actually a normal sleep pattern for that age. For instance, babies under 6 months old spend half their sleep time in REM, or rapid-eye-movement sleep; by comparison, adults spend 20 percent of sleep time in REM. Adults take about 90 minutes to get to that stage, but infants go immediately into REM upon falling asleep. By the time a baby is 6 months old, the pattern is similar to an adult's, but overall sleep needs are not. Newborns divide their sleep time equally between night and day, but during the first year, their nighttime sleep gradually becomes a single block of uninterrupted time. Daytime sleep also slowly decreases during the first three years, and naps are usually not needed by 4 years old.
Diagnosis
A pediatrician or sleep specialist usually diagnoses sleep disorders in children. If you are concerned about your child's sleep habits, talk to her doctor; if you're not satisfied with the outcome of that conversation, ask to see a specialist. You also might get some help from a school psychologist or a social worker. Whoever you see about the suspected problem should ask you about your child's sleep patterns, bedtime routine, typical wake time during the week and on weekends, whether she has nightmares and if the trouble is with falling asleep or staying asleep.
Treatment
Each sleep disorder is handled differently. For night terrors or sleepwalking, make sure your child is comfortable and safe, but do not wake him or intervene. Obstructive sleep apnea may require surgery to remove the tonsils or adenoids. Sleep onset anxiety might need cognitive-behavioral therapy, although reassurance and a soothing bedtime routine often help. Bed-wetting has different possible causes--it may be physical, or it may be emotional--so further diagnosis is required before determining how best to treat it.
