Sleep is a necessary function for the health of any person, so you can identify certain disorders that cause sleep not to develop normally and may affect its quality and the health of the child.
However, night waking of babies and children, which are not only normal but also healthy, should not be considered as disorders. We talk about other disorders that may be more worrying, although fortunately mostly temporary, such as nightmares or night terrors ... Others, such as sleep apnea or narcolepsy require medical attention.
Children's nightmares
Nightmares in children are very frequent and are the unconscious manifestation during the dream of feelings of insecurity, anxieties, fears or worries. The child usually wakes up startled and remembers the dream.
Nightmares usually occur more frequently during periods of transition, stress or routine changes of the child. They tend to disappear spontaneously, but some things we can do to try not to repeat the nightmares It is to stimulate the child to talk about what happened during the nightmare, show him nice images before he falls asleep (a story ...), and avoid television or other games before going to bed.
Night terrors
Night terrors are more frequent between three and eight years of age. The child is uneasy, sobs, groans, breathing accelerates and sometimes even gets up or gets out of bed and runs.
Unlike nightmares, night terrors do not cause the child to wake up, and although he seems awake (with his eyes open), in reality it is only a partial awakening: he is asleep while they occur and does not usually remember what happened the next day. Night terrors are more frequent in tired, stressed, sick children ... and to try to prevent them we can do the same as in the case of nightmares.
Sleepwalking in children
sleepwalking occurs more frequently at the same age as night terrors, between the ages of three and eight. The child is between asleep and awake and usually does not remember what happened the next day, although, unlike terrors, they are not episodes that cause anxiety or crying. Getting enough sleep is important to reduce the frequency of sleepwalking episodes.
Sleep apnea
Sleep apnea It affects both adults and children, up to 5% of the Spanish child population suffers from this disease whose main characteristics are the brief interruptions of breathing that occur during sleep. It occurs more frequently in children who understand ages between two years of age and six.
Children with apnea usually snore, their sleep is restless and may manifest drowsiness during the day. The main cause is the enlargement of the tonsils. There are several ways to treat apnea: the specialist must be consulted to confirm the diagnosis and receive treatment.
Childhood narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder It causes excessive sleepiness and frequent sleep attacks during the day: the child suddenly falls asleep, in any situation, for a few seconds or minutes, and wakes up again. It usually begins during puberty, although it can begin earlier. Narcoleptic symptoms are often more severe when the disorder develops early in life instead of adulthood.
Although the exact causes are unknown, experts have begun to recognize that narcolepsy sometimes contributes to certain childhood behavioral problems, such as hyperactivity disorder and attention deficit and should be addressed as soon as possible. If it is not diagnosed or treated, narcolepsy can present special problems in children and adolescents, interfering with their psychological, social and cognitive development.
As we see, we are talking about disorders of a very diverse nature, and some carry physical risks for children: night terrors and sleepwalking because they can be damaged while walking or doing some semi-sleeping activity; and narcolepsy because of the danger of "falling asleep" in any situation.
That is why we must ensure a safe environment in the first two cases (rooms and corridors cleared, certain closed doors, protection of stairs ...) and continuous surveillance in the case of narcolepsy, which must be treated by a specialist.
There are medical investigations that reveal that a high percentage of children suffer from some sleep disorder, although fortunately most are not serious and are transitory. Whenever we suspect any of these disorders, or note that the child is not rested during the day and suffers from sleepiness, it is advisable to consult the pediatrician.
Photos | Lance Shields and The_Vikkodamus on Flickr
In Babies and more | Childhood apnea can cause neurological disorders, How to help you overcome night terrors, Using your computer before bedtime could increase cases of childhood sleepwalking
