Child Sleep Disorders Examined

Posted by Chris Campbell on May 30th, 2009 filed in Sleep Health

I had read a column a few days ago about a possible connection between child sleep disorders and their sleeping position, and found the information intriguing. Let’s see what the link seems to be.

Parasomnias are sleeping disorders that are characterized by that of abnormal polysomnography. There is often a family history for these parasomnias, and they are usually episodic in nature and are a basic reflection of central nervous system immaturity. Many parasomnias such as sleepwalking are often used in comedy, but in fact can have incredibly serious consequences.

Night terrors typically occur within the child’s first 90 minutes of sleep, where the child will then suddenly bolt upright and scream, and will usually be inconsolable for a period of time before being able to relax and fall back asleep.

This is, however, not true of a child whose body cycle does not cause him to become sleepy. If your child is crying at the same intensity all night, he’s not looking for attention-he is indicating that something is wrong; it’s time to ask your doctor about your child’s sleep problem. Look for signs of sleepwalking or head banging. Think back-does the child eat on a regular schedule, or do you have to feed to create a schedule?

In the act of somnambulism, the child will sit up in bed with their eyes open and yet they are ‘unseeing’; this is otherwise often known as sleepwalking. These disorders typically occur in the school-aged child, and more often in boys than girls. Activity of the child during somnambulism may range from a purposeless restlessness in bed to actual walking throughout the house or location.

This is not to imply that the child is neglected or unfed. It is more indicative of a situation where the child does not complain of being hungry, so a bottle or feeding isn’t given. If the child goes to bed without eating on a regular schedule, he might sleep himself right into a migraine that will appear if his body decides he’s hungry, or if his blood sugars are low.

Don’t assume that a migraine headache is impossible in an infant, or that a child would obviously wake up and cry if hungry.

The report says that there have been sufficient research studies that agree with the above findings to advise parents to seek medical advice as soon as they observe any such type of strange sleeping habits. This could be an advance warning of an incipient child sleep disorder, which if caught early, can be totally avoided.