How Sleep Issues Can Affect Your Child

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Figuring out what are considered sleep issues is difficult because of the differences in sleep patterns that occur at different developmental stages. While it is not considered unusual for a two-month-old infant to wake frequently in the night, it is considered unusual toddler behavior. Parents vary greatly in their tolerance of their children’s sleeping habits. What one family feels is a problem, another family doesn’t see as being wrong, which makes defining what is or is not a sleep problem even more difficult. Let us take a look at some common sleep problems.

Night terrors usually occur in children who are three to eight years old and happen approximately 90 minutes after falling to sleep. Your child may suddenly sit upright and scream, and be inconsolable. As frightening as they might be, rest assured that they usually go away on their own. Alleviating stress and ensuring that your child is getting enough rest is all that can be done to combat night terrors.

Sleepwalking and sleep talking can be another concern for parents and they should take steps to make balconies or stairs safe, since sleepwalkers can experience physical harm. Their bedroom should be on the first floor of the home, with the windows and doors firmly secured. Parents should keep interventions to a minimum as these sleep behaviors generally do not require any interference, except for safety. This disorder is usually outgrown by adolescence.

Bed wetting is considered one of the most prevalent and persistent sleep issues a family can face. A family history of bed wetting tends to be a mitigating factor. Kids who lag developmentally at one and three years of age are more likely to still be bed wetting at age six. It is a more serious issue than being uncooperative in toddlers potty training attempts or dismissed as unpleasant behavior. It is thought that kids who wet the bed have a lower bladder capacity.

While colic is not a sleep problem on the surface, colicky infants appear to have a shorter duration of sleep. Colic is often the bane of a new parent’s existence in that sleep problems may sometimes persist after the child has outgrown the colic. Strategies that parents developed to cope with the crying spells, like frequently holding the infant or car rides can interfere with the adaptation of normal sleep patterns.

Make sure to put your child to bed while they are still awake. This gives them a chance to learn how to fall asleep on their own and this will avoid many sleep issues. Keep in mind that just because your child has slept through the night a few times, this doesn’t mean it will occur every night. Most babies don’t sleep through the night on a consistent basis. Be aware that with each new milestone your child reaches, like when they start potty training, they may also resume waking in the night.

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