Sleep problems in children often involve anxiety associated with bedtime. Getting adequate rest plays an integral role in the emotional, intellectual and physical development of a child. Several issues can contribute to sleep anxiety as well as to various levels of severity.
Signs
Sleep anxiety in children can take many forms, and many of the associated behaviors will be either witnessed by the parent or complained about by the child. If a child is sleepy during the day, has nightmares, wakes up crying, experiences teeth-grinding at night or bed-wetting, sleep anxieties involved. With age, a child's sleep patterns will change so take that into consideration when looking for sleep anxiety. Your child's teachers can also give insight into possible daytime sleepiness.
Causes
The cause of sleep anxiety is specific to the child and can differ with age. Very young children, for example, sometimes have sleep problems because of the separation anxiety associated with leaving parents and going to bed. A child that experiences frequent nightmares at any age could also develop sleep anxiety because they dread having bad dreams. Sleep anxiety sometimes occurs in school-age children because of excessive worry about the day's events or what the future holds.
Treatment
Sometimes sleep anxiety can be cured with age or by the establishment of good sleep habits such as giving the child a consistent schedule for sleeping. In cases where this is not enough, other steps can be taken to ensure your child rests well. After finding the underlying cause of your child's sleep anxiety, you might want to enlist the help of child therapist, psychiatrist or sleep specialist. Some medications are designed for short-term help with sleep problems.
Parasomnias
Parasomnias in children include night terrors, sleepwalking and excessive confusion upon waking. They are common occurrences in childhood and can lead to an extreme anxiety or fear toward sleep and bedtime. Children with parasomnias need to be monitored closely because these problems can easily lead to physical injury, psychological disturbances and other adverse health effects. Some common causes of childhood parasomnias are genetic factors, a disturbance in sleep schedule and psychiatric disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
References
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; Children's Sleep Problems; July 2004
- National Association of Child Psychologists; Sleep and Sleep Disorders in Children...; Peg Dawson; 2004
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; Psychiatric Medication for Children...; July,2004
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine: Nightmares and Other Disturbing Parasomnias
