What To Do If Your Child Has a Sleeping Disorder

Lots of young children usually find it hard to settle down to sleep and tend to wake up amid the night.

It is intense for any parent to find that their child may have a sleeping disorder. However, no mother or father needs to see their child wide awake in the middle of the night or watch their child battle with nodding off or staying unconscious during the night. In any case, recent assessments show that almost 30% of children may have a sleep disorder sooner or later in their lives.

For some people, this won’t be an issue. Be that as it may, if your child has been experiencing sleeplessness, there are some straightforward actions you can attempt. Each child is unique, so just do whatever it takes to make your child feel confident, comfortable and do what you think will suit your child.

Lack of sleep may cause:

• Careless accidents and injuries
• Issues with conduct
• Mood swings
• Memory, fixation, and learning issues
• performance issues
• Slower response times
• Overeating

Children and young people require no less than nine long periods of rest every night. Sleep disorders and absence of rest can seriously affect your youngsters’ performance in school, extracurricular exercises, and in social relationships.

While sleep disorders can accompany shifting degrees of seriousness, they can be dealt with for the most part. What’s imperative is that parents perceive the symptoms and signs of sleep disorder with the goal that they can get their child treated for the hidden causes, instead of treating the side effects alone. One of the most important keys in seeing how to recognize sleep issues in youngsters is to have a smart thought on how much rest they ought to get for their age.

How Much Rest do Children Require?

Newborn babies require about 18 hours of sleep a day. However, statistics show that most newborn babies sleep for approximately 16-17 hours a day with waking up periods which last for about 1-3 hours which is still okay.  Some newborn babies may not have developed a regular sleep cycle between night and day so their periods of sleep and wakefulness can vary to all hours of the day.

Babies within a month and a year still tend to sleep for the same number of hours but their night and day sleeping cycles begin to kick in with they sleep longer at night even though they still wake up for feedings and changing of clothes. During this period, it is very important that you establish healthy sleep habits for your child.

Most toddlers from about a year old and three need about 12-14 hours of sleep but this at times can decrease due to schedules of parents and older siblings in the house. Kids of this age group may more than likely lose their early morning naps and late evening naps and take only one nap a day.

If your child is between the ages of three and six, they need approximately 11-12 hours of sleep. Younger children of this age group may still need a short nap during the day but by the time they join first grade, the need to nap usually diminishes.

Children between the ages of 7 and 18 have totally weird sleeping times nowadays. Children within 7 and 12 require 10-12 hours of sleep but they often get between 9 and 10. Teens, however, require 8-10 hours of sleep but rarely get the full amount they need. The demands of school work, after-school programs, and activities often cut into their sleeping times. According to statistics, 80% of kids nowadays get 6-8 hours of sleep.

Signs of Sleep Disorders in Children.

1. Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS)

EDS is a standout amongst the most widely recognized side effects of sleep disorder in both children and grown-ups as some sleep disorder prompt daytime sleepiness. It is normal for children to feel excessively drained every so often. Notwithstanding, if their daytime sleepiness is genuinely consistent, it could in all likelihood be connected to a sleep disorder regardless of whether it creates the impression that they are getting enough rest around evening time. In the event that your child is sluggish for the duration of the day, takes rests at ages where most children don’t rest, experiences difficulty waking early in the day, or simply has a general absence of vitality amid the day, they may have EDS. A regular sleep disorder that has side effects of EDS are obstructive rest apnea, narcolepsy, and restless leg syndrome.

2. Sleep problems

In the event that your child regularly gripes about not having the capacity to rest or experiences difficulty staying asleep or frequently wakes substantially sooner than ordinary, it could be an indication of a sleeping disorder called insomnia. A sleeping disorder such as insomnia in children is caused by an assortment of variables including stress, pain, or mental issues. Stress can originate from an assortment of sources itself incorporating trouble with school or school work, social issues, family issues, or changes to their general life patterns like moving to another town.

3. Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking is extremely regular in children, as 30% of children between the ages of 3-7 sleep while taking a stroll. Sleepwalking happens when a child leaves the bed amidst the night while still sleeping. Their eyes might be open and they may murmur confused articulations as they stroll about. Sleepwalking stages can last between 5-15 minutes however sporadically more. Most youngsters who sleepwalk exceed it when they’re adolescents. Sleepwalking can be unsafe particularly if the child is strolling down the stairs amid stages, turning on machines, or going out. Endeavor to make your child’s environment protected and conceivable to avoid injuries. It is likewise not prescribed to wake a sleepwalker amid a scene as it might cause shock and disarray in the child.

4. Bedwetting

Bedwetting in most children isn’t too remarkable, and by itself isn’t really a cause for concern. Bedwetting isn’t viewed as a sleep disorder except if the youngster has been into the practice for more than five years of age and has episodes no less than 2 times each week consistently. Bedwetting can be caused if there is a family history of bedwetting, formative slack, low bladder control, and emotional misery. However, if your child constantly wets the bed as well as encounters daytime sluggishness, it could be an indication of obstructive sleep apnea.

How You Can Help Improve your Child’s Sleep

Children with sleep disorders can be helped. Every child deserves a period of rest after a long day’s work. If you discover that your child has a sleeping disorder, below are a few ways in which you can help improve your child’s sleeping cycle.

1. Set up a normal bedtime every night and don’t shift from it. So also, the waking time ought not to contrast from weekday to end of the week by more than one to one and a half hours.

2. Make a creative bedtime standard, for example, giving your child a hot shower or sharing a story.

3. Try not to give children any nourishment or beverages with caffeine under six hours before sleep time.

4. Ensure the temperature in the room is agreeable and that the room is dim.

5. Ensure the noise level in the house is low.

6. Abstain from giving children expansive suppers near sleep time.

7. Make after-supper recess a relaxing time as a lot of movement near sleep time can keep children stay wakeful.

8. There ought to be no TV, PC, cell phone, radio, or music playing while your child is about to sleep. Television and computer games ought to be turned off no less than one hour preceding sleep time.

9. Newborn children and youngsters ought to be put to bed when they seem tired yet at the same time wakeful (as opposed to nodding off in their parent’s arms, or in another room). Parents ought to abstain from getting into bed with a child so as to motivate them to rest.

Sleeping disorder in kids can be taken care of, you just need to know what the exact issue is and how to tackle it. You may see your child’s pediatrician for professional help.