Nervous sleep in a child. Sleep disorder in children. Sleep disorders treatment. Unfavorable atmosphere in the house

Most often, nightmares (hereinafter referred to as KS) occur in children whose nighttime sleep has certain deviations. Without them, nightmares are also possible if the child is impressionable, circumstances, environment act in a traumatic way, or some painful disorder is present. We were able to find out the overall prevalence of sleep disorders in children by interviewing 1466 parents of two pediatric polyclinic sites. The figures below are based on the opinion of parents who report visible sleep disturbances, when in fact there are many more.

Every third child from 1 to 15 years old falls asleep poorly, usually for a long time, without distinction by gender. In preschool age, difficulty falling asleep occurs significantly more often than in school age, which is associated with more pronounced signs of neuropathy and organic disorders of the central nervous system in preschoolers.
Girls and boys fall asleep worst of all at the age of five. In girls, this coincides with an increase in COP, that is, nighttime anxiety in girls is more reflected in falling asleep than in boys, or, which is the same thing, girls are more sensitive at this age to what they dream at night. Every third child also sleeps restlessly (talks, wakes up, tosses and turns), be it a girl (more often) or a boy.

Let us note (according to the computer analysis data) the reliable interrelationships between disturbed sleep and the peculiarities of the course of pregnancy and childbirth, the psychological state of the mother. They can reliably predict what kind of sleep disorders await children.

Let's start with superficial sleep, when even with the slightest noise, the child's sleep immediately disappears, and at best he plays, at worst - screams, cries. It turned out that superficial sleep is associated with anxiety (emotional stress) of the mother during pregnancy. The excitement itself stems, in this case, from the mother's lack of confidence in the strength of the marriage and the presence of fear of childbirth.
Keeping oneself in constant tension, fear, as we see, does not go in vain. The fetus is tense, restless and cannot sleep properly while still in the womb. The mother's increased fatigue during pregnancy, whatever the cause, leads to the same results.

Let's remember: with the most common neurosis - neurasthenia - it is sleep that is most often disturbed. You can't get enough sleep, sleep does not bring joy, it is full of all sorts of worries and anxieties.
Fatigue during the day is even greater, sleep is getting worse - a vicious circle arises with inevitable irritability and mood disorders. What can we say about the overstrain of neuropsychic forces during pregnancy, when, and so the load affects, and endurance and naturally may not be the highest. Accordingly, the biorhythm of sleep in the fetus is also upset, and often for a long time.

Any pediatrician will confirm another regularity that we have established: restless, superficial sleep is most characteristic of children born prematurely. Their sleep is immature, intermittent, and day and night change places. And here everything can be settled if everything is calm at home and the mother is loving, and not always dissatisfied with the child who has appeared "ahead of time", and she herself is too nervous.
The restless sleep of the child also brings enduring torment to young parents. Everything is not according to him, he cannot find a place for himself, rushes about in his sleep, throws off the blanket, babbles something, strives to fall out of bed. And ... the more the child behaves in this way, the more worried and tense the parents are, invisibly transmitting their excitement and only aggravating his sleep problems.

It is necessary to worry, but not excessively, not to dramatize the night problems of children. From this they will not sleep better. But stroking the sufferer, whispering friendly words, and calming yourself down is worth it. Usually parents were surprised when they saw me, as a pediatrician, calm down the most hopelessly crying children. He took the kids in his arms and walked, slightly rocking, talking softly and soothingly - for mom, of course. And she studied, since she was young and programmed according to the rules written in another country.

How can you not remember the grandmother from the village: without any books and instructions, she rocked the cradle with one hand, cooked porridge with the other, and sang a song. And in such cases (in the 60s) I did not see nervous sleep disorders in those who no longer crawled, but walked. New life in the village is sacred. The family was not supposed to be worried about a newborn, and to invite loiters - too, so as not to "jinx it".
Popular wisdom and instincts spoke about it.
On the physical side, there were, of course, flaws - they worked to the last, and gave birth in the field, but in order to "poison" the child, to prevent him from being born or to give to strangers - this happened extremely rarely. Pregnancy as a message from God was perceived as something natural, natural, given by fate.

Now, there are continuous stresses before birth, among which in the first place are the lack of confidence in the strength of the marriage, conflicts with the husband, other worries, poor health and irritability, the threat of miscarriage and emotional shock during childbirth from painful contractions. We ourselves can eliminate all these causes of restless sleep in children if we are more mature by the time of motherhood and more mentally protected.

Crying in a dream in children of the first years of life does not allow parents to sleep peacefully, and they feel clearly "out of place." Affects not only emotional stress during pregnancy (excitement, feeling unwell and increased fatigue), but also various deviations during pregnancy and childbirth (toxicosis of the first half of pregnancy, delivery ahead of time, excessively fast or protracted, premature discharge of water, entwining the neck of the newborn with the umbilical cord) ...
Swaddling is the same routine as feeding. However, some children clearly calm down, being tightly swaddled, others, on the contrary, are struggling to free themselves, and only fairly tired from the abundance of movements, they calm down and fall asleep. Temperament is already visible here.

Children with a choleric temperament are more difficult to endure any constraint, they are just waiting to free themselves; phlegmatic people prefer to be wrapped up according to all the rules. And sanguine, that's why they are sanguine, so as not to make special demands: not very tight and not very free - it will be just right.
But even outside of temperament, sometimes we see how the child falls asleep only tightly swaddled. Such addictions are associated with the presence of a threat of miscarriage during pregnancy and extremely painful contractions during childbirth. The same factors are involved in the origin of restless sleep in children, since sleep is, in a certain way, an analogue of intrauterine existence, when the child is left alone, in a dark and confined space. In addition, negative emotional reactions were recorded in the fetus from the ninth week of life - at the standard age of artificial termination of pregnancy or abortion.

With the threat of miscarriage, the appearance of emotional shock is not excluded, which leads, along with the same stress to the mother, to the release of a large amount of anxiety hormones into the bloodstream. In some cases, this dose is sufficient to disturb sleep in the coming months and years. A completed miscarriage means the inevitable death of the fetus, but the threat of miscarriage also leads to impaired placental circulation and intrauterine hypoxia (insufficient oxygen supply to the fetal brain).
The same applies to excessively intense, painful contractions of the muscles of the uterus during the opening of its cervix. The threat of death, physical destruction reflexively turns on the instinct of self-preservation in the fetus in the form of a defensive, protective reaction of motor restlessness and fear.

After birth, an excessively open space, the absence of a cradle, a crib, as well as clothes, gives rise to an unaccountable feeling of anxiety, usually in the form of crying, less often screaming and difficulty falling asleep. Now it is clear why tight swaddling soothes babies who have suffered a threat of miscarriage and painful contractions of the mother during childbirth. They are again, as it were, in the womb, but already in safe conditions of existence.
The main thing is that if there was any threat of premature birth, swaddling is necessary, reproducing the conditions of safe intrauterine life.

With organic brain damage from asphyxia, birth trauma, the sensitivity of the skin painfully increases, there are tremors of certain parts of the face or convulsions, tension, hypertonicity of the limbs and trunk. Then tight swaddling, on the contrary, will increase the anxiety and cry of the child; the best option would be a relaxed swaddling or more frequent position of the child fully open.

In general, 10% of boys and 15% of girls are susceptible, according to their parents, to frequent nighttime fears.
Much more accurate, but not absolute, due to repression, amnesia of night fear, we obtain data from direct morning interviews of children about what they saw at night, including nightmares. For ten days, 79 children from 3 to 7 years old in kindergartens were interviewed in a similar way. It turned out that during this time 37% of children (at least one in three) had a nightmare, 18% (almost one in five) saw it repeatedly, sometimes in series, almost every night. Thus, the parents state only "the tip of the iceberg".

In case of nervous disorders, as shown by an additional survey of children in the speech therapy group of the kindergarten, the COP is even greater.
Regardless of the state of the nervous system, the number of CS in preschool age, according to a survey of children, significantly increases from 3 to 7 years, signifying an increasing awareness of the problems of life and death, the beginning and end of one's life.
Repeatedly we had to be convinced of the relationship between the fear of nightmares and their actual presence in children. Moreover, such fear unmistakably indicated the existence of QS, even if the child could not remember what it was exactly. As already noted, the question was formulated as follows: "Are you afraid of bad dreams or not?"

Despite the possibility of reflecting the past traumatic experience of dreams in the response, in most cases the response reflected the actual, that is, the last experience of perceiving terrible dreams.
In total, 2135 children and adolescents from 3 to 16 years old were interviewed. The survey data are shown in the table.

Table. Age distribution of fears of nightmares (CC)

From the table we see that the maximum values of CS fears in boys are observed at 6 years old in girls - at 5, 6 years old and in preschoolers - at 7 years old (the survey was conducted at the end of the 70s).
This is far from accidental, since it is in the older preschool age that the fear of death is most actively represented. It is this fear that is present in the nightmares of children, once again emphasizing the underlying instinct of self-preservation that is more pronounced in girls.

A unique comparison can be made between preschoolers and schoolchildren of 7 years old. It seems that the age is one, but the tendency to decrease the fears of the COP is noticeable in first graders. The explanation is similar to the decrease in the average score of all fears at school age, due to the new, socially significant position of the student. This is a kind of left hemispheric shift in the child’s consciousness, when the right hemispheric, spontaneous, intuitive type of response (to which fears can also be attributed) should give way to the rational perception of the left hemispheric school information.
We see that the number of CS fears is significantly higher in preschool age for both boys and girls. In turn, fears of CS (like all fears in general) are reliably more often observed in girls, reflecting a naturally more pronounced instinct for self-preservation.
Earlier it was noted that the most active in relation to all fears is the older preschool age. The fear of the COP is no exception, which is closely related (according to the computer factor analysis) with fears of attack, disease (infection), death (of oneself and of parents), animals (wolf, bear, dogs, spiders, snakes), the elements (storm , hurricane, flood, earthquake), as well as fears of depth, fire, fire and war. For all these fears, it is almost unmistakable to assume the presence of nightmares and, accordingly, fear of them.

It is interesting to compare the fear of CS in children from the so-called normal population and children with neurotic personality disorders. There are more fears of COP with neuroses than in most healthy peers. This is not surprising if we take into account the increased anxiety, emotional vulnerability, instability of mood, lack of confidence in oneself, in one's strengths and capabilities, which are characteristic of neuroses. Attention is drawn to the helplessness of children, the inability to resist danger, they can be offended even by a small child, as one mother said.

Children with anxiety neurosis are most afraid of COP, when they are so struck by fear itself as such that they cannot resist any dangers that lie in wait for them day and night.
In children with all neuroses, CS fears are most often presented at the age of 6-10, when fears appear during the day, like mushrooms after rain, under the influence of experiences caused by the fear of death, learning problems, etc.
Fear of CS is normally limited to older preschool age. In other words, the fear of CS in neuroses has a more prolonged, extended in time character and indicates a more pronounced inability of children to solve their personal problems on their own, without the help of adults.

Since children with neuroses are much more sensitive to CS, it makes sense for them to further consider all problems associated with CS.
"Caesar's things to Caesar, Caesar's things to Caesar." So it is with girls and boys. The former have a relationship with the COP during pregnancy, the latter do not, and nothing can be done about it. If there is a girl in the mother's womb, and the mother has toxicosis in the first half of pregnancy (indomitable vomiting), then after birth the girls will reliably see the COP and be afraid of them more often. And toxicosis in the second half of pregnancy (nephropathy), albeit at the level of a trend, will have a similar effect. Boys have a zero-based relationship.

Thus, the mother's problems during pregnancy, her poor health, have a more traumatic emotional impact on girls, which is evident in their subsequent dreams. Since the fetus "sees" dreams in the womb, starting from 8 weeks of life (according to neurophysiologists), this period of pregnancy can be compared with the maximum severity of toxicosis in the first half. Then our, even statistically sound conclusions, will not seem devoid of meaning.

When asked why all this is expressed only in girls, let us point out their more pronounced instinct for self-preservation compared to boys (remember that girls are 2 times more likely to experience fears than boys). Therefore, toxicosis, creating a threat of weakening and termination of pregnancy, cause, first of all, hormone-mediated anxiety in girls, as a kind of instinctive-protective reaction.

Separately, the relationship between fears immediately before sleep and fears in sleep, that is, KS, was considered. The earlier conclusion about the reproduction of children's daytime experiences in the CS was confirmed. Moreover, according to the anxiety experienced by children before bedtime, one can confidently judge the appearance of CS in them, even in the case when they are completely amnestized (forgotten) in the morning.

A restless baby affects the performance of all family members. At night, the body recovers, and sleep problems negatively affect immunity.

If sleep disturbance in children occurs repeatedly, this indicates a pathology. You need to see a doctor. It is important to determine whether the sleep disorder is a whim or an illness.

Falling asleep at night and uninterrupted sleep are not genetically determined, but are laid during life: there is no change of day and night in the womb.

Therefore, babies of the 1st year of life always wake up at night and sleep during the day.

The causes of sleep disorders are varied:

diseases of the internal organs;
hereditary predisposition;
emotional stress, stress (going to kindergarten, mom going to work);
inappropriate behavior patterns in relation to sleep and wakefulness;
physical discomfort (cutting teeth, colic, wet bed, crumbs on the sheet, inappropriate room temperature);
hunger;
late supper, weaning.

Sleep disturbances in children under one year old can be caused by rickets, inguinal and umbilical hernia, diseases of the spine, stomach and intestines, rheumatism.

20% of babies fall asleep poorly in the evening, wake up and cry at night.

Different types of disorders have different manifestations.

For the treatment and prevention of nervous tics in adults, see.

The main manifestations of sleep disorders in children

The wrong model of sleep and wakefulness is expressed in the fact that the baby repeatedly falls asleep during the day and wakes up at night.

In addition, the following deviations are common:

Fears... Sleep disturbance in a child of this nature is usually found at the age of 2-6 years, more often in crying boys. A child half asleep sits down, screams and cries in bed; calmed down by the efforts of the parents.

During an attack, the child cannot be woken up, by the morning he cannot remember his behavior and retell his dreams.

These are manifestations of strong excitement of the nervous system. By the age of 10-12, the disorder disappears.

Awakening in the middle of the night. They are found in crumbs from 4 months to a year. There is nothing serious here and the reason lies in the wrong behavior of the parents rushing to lull the child. The baby develops a conditioned reflex, in which the attention of the parents acts as a reinforcement. The body is "tuned" to awaken in order to receive food and parental care.

Diseases of the heart, blood vessels, and respiratory organs can also be the cause.

Sleepwalking... While sleeping, a child (usually a boy 5-10 years old) behaves actively, walks and performs purposeful actions. His eyes are open, his movements are awkward, but he does not stumble or bump into furniture; remembers nothing in the morning.

The disorder can occur in connection with epilepsy, enuresis, diseases of the central nervous system and genitourinary system.

Talking in a dream... Children, being in a state of sleep, pronounce words or sentences, though indistinct; after waking up, they do not remember anything.

Nightmares typical for any age, but more often a similar sleep disorder can be seen in a child 3-7 years old, as well as 10-12 years old. Man wakes up in the middle of the night and remembers the dream - this is a difference from fears. If bad dreams last more than once a week, it's time to see a doctor.

Bruxism. A child (usually 12-13 years old) clenches his teeth, his breathing and heartbeat change. The reason for this behavior is not clear, but worms have nothing to do with it.

This may indicate an incorrect bite. Due to the abrasion of the enamel, the child needs to be shown to the orthodontist. Bruxism is a consequence of a disturbance in the activity of the nerves, when the tension of the facial muscles does not go away even at night. This requires the help of a neurologist.

Shudders manifested in babies under one year old, born with hypoxia or malformations, and adolescents. Flinches indicate epilepsy, ill health of the nervous system and mental sphere.

Urinary incontinence (enuresis) children 6-12 years old, with mental retardation or genetically predisposed are susceptible.

The reason is the immaturity of the nervous system (awakening reflexes are not developed), as well as urological diseases, stress.

In this case, a neurologist will help.

Stop breathing found in all. The person breathes through the mouth, snores, his breathing is intermittent; sleep disturbance in infants can be expressed in difficulty eating, older children learn poorly due to daytime sleepiness. The disease is associated with an increase in the adenoids and tonsils, sometimes with diseases of the nerves and muscles, congenital abnormalities, overweight.

Lore's consultation is necessary here.

Sleep initiation disorder. Difficulty falling asleep in the evening among preschoolers is common with difficulties in adaptation in a team, increased excitability of the nervous system, and psychological discomfort.

Delayed sleep phase syndrome... Teenagers lead an active life at night, and it is difficult for them to wake up in the morning, they are sluggish all day. The problem has psychological roots associated with the entry into adulthood, and with increased school workload.

Respiratory arrest affects 3% of children, bruxism - 20%.

Sleep disturbance in children treatment

It is worth going to the pediatrician in cases where the sleep disorder:

accompanied by a serious change in mood;
combined with enuresis and respiratory interruption;
lasts more than 3 weeks;
occurs in children under 1 year of age.

Correction of fears, night awakenings, walking and talking in a dream is that the child must be woken up 10-15 minutes before the onset of the symptom (terrible dreams are seen 1-2 hours after falling asleep).

Then the awakened baby will fall asleep again and will no longer bother the parents at the “appointed time”.

With bruxism, mouth guards are worn to protect the jaw; if its cause is neurological, they take sedatives. In case of enuresis, "humidity signals" are used - alarms that go off as soon as the baby urinates. It is important to wake up the child so that he does not do it unconsciously, and always go to the toilet before going to bed.

Sleep initiation sufferers will benefit from falling asleep at a specific time. The kid will intuitively start getting ready for bed in advance. The delayed sleep phase syndrome is corrected by shifting the night rest to an earlier time.

Often pediatricians prescribe Bayu-bye drops for mobile, excitable babies from 5 years old, Citral bromine mixture, as well as Notta and Domirkind drugs, and Epam drops are prescribed for depressed adolescents.

You can not drink drugs for longer than prescribed by the doctor, otherwise apathy will arise.

Prophylaxis

Before going to the doctor, you must:

Keep a sleep diary. During the week, write down the time of the child's awakening, the duration of anxiety, the time of re-falling asleep, etc.
Go to bed and wake up, eat at the same time. Walk in the air for at least 2 hours a day, do exercises in the morning and do wet wipes.
Limit emotional stress (even pleasant). Watching a large number of cartoons overloads the nervous system. You need to watch TV 2 hours before bedtime. You cannot play outdoor games with your child in the evening, persuade him to eat something through force. It is better to load the child physically in the 1st half of the day, and read a fairy tale at night. Don't give sweets before bed.
Regularly ventilate the baby's room, monitor the physical parameters. Optimum temperature 22 ° С, humidity 70%. This can be achieved by placing a damp cloth on the battery.
Watch out for bed linen. It must be clean, made of natural fabrics, the mattress is semi-hard.
Provide a cozy psychological climate. There must be a relationship of trust between family members. Parents need to find out whether their child feels comfortable at school, whether he or she is developing relationships with teachers.

To correct sleep, it may be necessary to keep the baby awake during the day. A soft toy - a symbol of protection - will provide you with a calm sleep.

When a child, falling asleep only in his arms, wakes up in bed, he is naughty. You can stop this with the following technique. Mom sits by the bed and goes about her business. The child scatters all the toys in a rage, moves the pillow. Mom walks over, puts everything back in place, then walks away.

In no case should a child be denied sleep when he asks, under the pretext of being busy with different things.

It is impossible not to react to the crying of a child: in an adult state, this will develop into neurosis, complexes.

Sleep is favored by twilight, reading at night, planning tomorrow, the monotonous noise of the washing machine, TV from the next room.

Children's sleep is the key to the health of the child and a full-fledged married life. Sleep disorders are to blame for the actions of parents who do not limit the irritating factors. If there are no apparent reasons for the disorder, you need to go to the doctor.

Video on the topic

The need for a child's body for sleep is greater than for food. A good sleep is a sign of the health of the child.

One or another violation of night rest is present in 15% of children. Consider why some children have sleep problems. When do you need to see a doctor because of a child's poor sleep? Let's heed the advice of neurologists and nutritionists for baby food.

Sleep disturbances occur to one degree or another in many children.

Why do children need to sleep?

Sleep is a physiological state in which restorative processes take place in the body. Growth hormone is produced in children at night. No wonder they say that children grow up in a dream. During sleep, the immune system is restored by the production of immunoglobulins and the activation of the protective cells of T-lymphocytes. While children are sleeping, the short-term information they have accumulated during the day is transferred into long-term memory. In other words, the knowledge gained during the day is consolidated at night.

The duration of sleep in babies 2–3 years old is 12 hours, of which 1.5–3 hours are spent on daytime rest. As they grow older, daytime rest decreases and by the age of 4, the need for it disappears for many children.

Types of sleep disturbance and waking at night

Difficulty falling asleep or waking up frequently at night is considered a disorder. There are more than 100 types of sleep disorders, which fit into 3 main types:

Insomnia - Difficulty falling asleep and nocturnal awakenings.
Parasomnias - sleepwalking, night fears, enuresis, sleep-talk, bruxism, flinching.
Sleep apnea - short-term stops in breathing.

Parasomnias are caused by the immaturity of the nervous system and resolve by adolescence. Long-term sleep disturbance for more than 3 months requires supervision by neurologists. With a protracted problem, somnologists conduct a study using the polysomnography method.

Individual characteristics of children

Each child is different, so he may need less sleep than all other children of his age.

As they get older, children need less time to rest at night and more time to stay awake. Features of the physiology of children from 2 years old are that they have a well-established sleep and wakefulness regime, and babies can sleep all night. Due to their individual characteristics, some children sleep less than their peers, but at the same time they feel normal. Such features of children are not associated with any diseases. The fact that, in your opinion, the child does not sleep much for his age is a problem, may be a reason to see a doctor.

Causes of falling asleep or waking up at night

Sleep disturbance in children 2 years of age is often associated with improper diet and diet or caused by diseases.

The most common reasons are:

neurological causes;
emotional overload during the day and before bed;
improper nutrition;
physiological features;
somatic diseases.

In children 2 years of age, the most common cause of poor sleep or an interrupted night's rest is emotional overload, which can manifest as nighttime fears.

What to do in case of disturbed sleep?

The most common cause of nighttime fears is emotional overload before going to bed and the wrong regimen. Sometimes fear is the cause of fear. Emotional overload can be caused by the late return of the father, who, before bedtime, arranges noisy emotional communication with the child. Excited children find it difficult to fall asleep, often wake up and call their mother. These conditions happen several times a week. Nighttime fears pass by adolescence.

Loud games in the evening should be canceled

If the baby woke up at night from his own scream, take the baby in your arms, calm him down in a quiet voice and ask all the household members who ran to cry out of the nursery. With frequent night fears in a baby, you need to consult a neurologist. Lingering night fears can be epileptic in origin.

When treating disturbed sleep in children 2 years old, it is very important to adhere to the following measures:

observe the daily routine;
not allow games on the computer or phone before a night's rest;
it is recommended to put a baby to bed at 2 years old at 21 o'clock at the same time;
provide a daytime sleep of 1.5–2 hours;
do not watch TV before going to bed;
an hour before falling asleep, do not allow noisy active games;
it is useful to take a walk with your baby before bedtime or dinner;
ventilate the room well before going to bed;
the baby should not be too hot or cold during the night's rest.

Daytime rest is important for children 2 years old. A kid who does not sleep during the day will sleep poorly at night. It is useful to perform the ritual of preparation for falling asleep - to collect toys, read a fairy tale. At a young age, if you have trouble falling asleep or waking up at night, you can give soothing herbal infusions of valerian, lemon balm. It is useful to carry out a course of treatment before going to bed with warm baths with herbal infusion, consisting of equal parts of thyme, valerian, motherwort, lemon balm. For infusion, brew 2 tbsp. l. dry mixture with 1 glass of water and leave for a quarter of an hour in a water bath. The water temperature should not be higher than 37.0 ° C.

Improper nutrition

The child's nutrition should be balanced and fortified.

Sleep problems in healthy children can arise from poor nutrition. The daily diet should be high in calories. The food eaten at dinner should be enough so that the baby does not wake up at night from hunger. A hearty dinner before bed will cause stomach cramps. Chips and Fast food may well induce vomiting in children at any time of the day. Nutrition for children 2 years old should be balanced.

The diet of children from 1 to 3 years old should contain foods daily:

Animal protein is a building block for growth and supply of iron to blood. With a lack of meat dishes from beef, children develop iron deficiency anemia, and the immune system weakens. Due to a lack of protein, babies lag behind in development, their memory deteriorates.
Fish is a source of vitamin D, without which a deficiency of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium is formed in a growing body. An imbalance in these minerals negatively affects the growth of bones and teeth in a growing body. With a lack of minerals, children do not sleep well, sweat during sleep, and develop dental caries. Deficiency of minerals and vitamins affects the intellectual development of children.
Dairy products are a source of calcium and protein, which are needed for the formation of bones and teeth in a growing body.
Fruits and vegetables provide the body with vitamins and minerals.

Children 1 to 3 years of age need food after being cooked. Vegetarianism for children from 1 to 3 years old is unacceptable. Observance of fasting, from a medical point of view, is interpreted as an inhumane attitude towards children. The raw food diet method is also unacceptable for feeding children. Children as young as 2 years old cannot digest so much raw food. The gastrointestinal tract of children from 1 to 3 years of age is unable to provide enzymes for the digestion of crude fiber. The result of a raw food diet is gastritis and colitis. Eating problems make falling asleep worse and cause you to wake up at night.

Snoring in children

The reason for frequent awakenings may be snoring, which occurs in some children after 1 year with enlarged adenoids and tonsils. With a strong increase in the tonsils, the flow of air to the lungs is limited. The child wakes up from oxygen deprivation. In severe cases, the adenoids can be so enlarged that in a dream they completely block the air flow and cause a short-term cessation of breathing - apnea. At the same time, children often wake up, and during the day they feel sleepy. With such a serious sleep disorder, children need to be examined by ENT specialists and somnologists who examine sleep using polysomnography. In the case of enlargement of the adenoids and tonsils, the operation eliminates snoring and restores sleep at night.

As a result, we emphasize that the main problems of sleep are emotional overload and disturbance of the regime. Improper or inadequate nutrition also contributes to sleep disturbance in children aged 1 to 3 years. To get rid of the problems of night rest, you need, first of all, to establish the correct regimen and adjust a balanced diet.

It is believed that babies always sleep soundly and sweetly. In fact, sleep disorders in children are quite common: parents of about 20% of children complain that their children wake up crying at night or cannot fall asleep on time in the evening. A restless crumb can seriously affect the health and performance of all family members. There are also more unpleasant pathologies, which indicate the presence of certain problems in the child himself.

Types and symptoms of sleep disorders in children

The causes of sleep disorders in children are associated with diseases of internal organs or directly with disruptions in the ratio of sleep and wakefulness. Experts call the last violation an incorrectly formed sleep pattern. The fact is that the ability to fall asleep at certain times of the day and to rest continuously throughout the night is not innate. During the period of intrauterine development, the baby simply does not need it. Babies in the first year of life sleep 16-17 hours a day, distributing this time equally between night and day. It's natural for these crumbs to wake up frequently to eat. Gradually, the intervals between night feedings increase, and by the age of six months, the child can sleep peacefully from evening to morning.

Often, after the formation of the correct sleep pattern, the following deviations appear:

Night terrors. Occur in children from 3 to 6 years old; boys are affected more often than girls. The child suddenly sits up in bed, starts crying and screaming. It takes about half an hour to calm him down. In this case, complete awakening does not occur, the baby is in a state of semi-sleep. In the morning he cannot remember either the fact of his anxiety or the content of the dream;
Nightmares. They can affect children of any age, but adolescents are more likely to suffer. The child wakes up completely and remembers well the dream that frightened him;
Bruxism. The kid in a dream tightly clenches his jaw and grinds his teeth. In this case, the cause of sleep disturbance in children is not exactly known, but, contrary to popular belief, it has nothing to do with helminthic invasions. This disorder most often manifests itself in adolescents 12-13 years old;
Flinching. If a baby under the age of one year often flinches in a dream, parents should be wary. This phenomenon can be a symptom of a serious illness such as epilepsy. At risk are children born with hypoxia or having intrauterine malformations;
Sleepwalking (somnambulism, sleepwalking). The child is active during the night's sleep. Sometimes it's just worrying, but in some cases, the baby gets out of bed and walks around the house. There is no awakening. The child's eyes are open, the movements are a little awkward, but he does not stumble or bump into furniture. The disorder is more often observed in children of school age (mainly in boys);
Dreaming. In some cases, it manifests itself in combination with sleepwalking. The child, without waking up, utters individual words or whole phrases. Speech is indistinct, indistinct. Just as with somnambulism, by morning there are no memories;
Nocturnal urinary incontinence (enuresis). Sometimes the cause of this disorder is purely urological problems, but more often such sleep disturbance in children is caused by the immaturity of the nervous system. Often children 6-12 years old with mental retardation suffer from enuresis. A hereditary factor has a large role in the onset of the disease;
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). This disorder occurs in 3% of children and can manifest itself at any age. The symptoms of the disease are pronounced: the child breathes through his mouth in a dream, snores. Infants have difficulty eating, and older children have learning disabilities associated with daytime sleepiness. The cause of the disease is often an increase in the adenoids and tonsils (adenotonsillar hypertrophy). Sometimes OSAS is triggered by neuromuscular diseases, obesity, or congenital abnormalities;
Sleep initiation disorders. The child cannot calm down for a long time in the evening, tries to delay the moment of falling asleep, protests, asks for "one more fairy tale", etc. The disorder is usually observed in preschoolers. The reason is excessive excitability of the baby, problems with adaptation in the children's team, psychological discomfort;
Night awakenings. Usually children aged 4-12 months are prone to them. Experts believe that in these cases, the development of the disorder is provoked by the misbehavior of the parents, who react too nervously to nighttime anxiety and immediately rush to "comfort" the baby. For children over 4 months old who constantly wake up at night, demanding attention and food, there is even a special definition - a trained night mourner;
Delayed sleep phase syndrome. More common in adolescents. The disorder is associated both with the psychological problems of growing up and with an increase in the workload at school. The disorder is expressed in the transfer of the time of active wakefulness to the night hours, drowsiness and lethargy during the day.

Treatment of sleep disorders in children

If a child suffers from a sleep disorder, parents are obliged to urgently contact a pediatrician, who will appoint a specialist consultation (neurologist, somnologist, otolaryngologist) and determine the tactics of treatment. Before visiting a doctor, you must:

Start keeping a sleep diary. Throughout the week, you should record the time of falling asleep and awakening of the baby, the duration of the periods of night wakefulness, features of behavior, etc.;
Optimize your daily routine. It is necessary to organize walks in the fresh air (at least two hours a day), eat at the same time;
Create comfortable conditions in the child's bedroom. You need to regularly ventilate the room, maintain the correct temperature and humidity;
Check your baby's bedding and nightwear. They must be clean, comfortable and made of hypoallergenic materials;
Reduce the activity of the child in the evening, limit TV viewing and computer games;
Ensure that the family environment is calm, friendly and comfortable. Talk to your child and find out if he has problems communicating with peers, teachers, etc.

Most sleep disorders in children are treated without medication. Sometimes the disorder goes away as the baby gets older. With night fears, awakenings, sleepwalking and sleepwalking, a simple technique helps well - waking up on a schedule. Its essence is that the child is woken up 10-15 minutes before the expected time of the onset of the symptom. In the treatment of enuresis, the use of so-called moisture signals gives positive results. Children with sleep initiation disorders are helped by a predictable procedure called a sleep ritual. The delayed sleep phase syndrome can be corrected by gradually shifting the time of the beginning of night rest.

Sleep is an important part of a baby's life. In a dream, the little man grows. A good and sound sleep is necessary not only for babies, but also for all children. However, normal and healthy sleep does not always accompany the growth of a child. Parents often complain that the baby does not sleep well. What to do if a child's insomnia is noticeable and how to make sure that he has a full night's rest. Having found out the cause of the violation, parents can independently solve this problem.

The sleep of an adult is significantly different from that of a child, which requires an average of eight hours to get adequate rest. The baby needs a night's rest, but depending on the age, the length of sleep will be different.

Insomnia in children occurs at different ages. It can develop both in the breast and in the school period of life. The symptoms of sleep disturbance, in any age group, will be the same.

But the reasons that lead to this pathology will be different for each age. In what case should parents be more attentive to the child if the following symptoms of sleep disturbances appear:

the baby cannot fall asleep for a long time, is capricious;
often wakes up several times a night;
wakes up in the early hours and does not fall asleep anymore;
older children become lethargic, absent-minded, drowsy in the daytime, memory begins to suffer, problems with memorization are noted;
the child develops irritability, low mood background, and conflicts.

Causes of sleep disorders in children

In order to treat insomnia, it is necessary to find out the reasons that led to the problems with sleep. Not always a baby, sleep disturbed,. Often, it is enough to adjust the daily routine for the little man for the pathological symptoms to disappear. Depending on the age of the child, the normal duration of daily sleep will change as well as the reasons causing it to be disturbed.

Babies and children under three years old

After birth, babies need to sleep a lot, about 17-18 hours a day, and by the year of life, night sleep is reduced to 12 hours with a two-hour daytime sleep.

If the child does not rest the allotted time, then the following reasons may lead to:

As the baby grows, the waking time during the day increases. By the age of three, the child already has a wider outlook and high activity. The flow of information that he receives by watching cartoons, books or starting attending spectacular events has an exciting effect on the nervous system.

This informational stress makes it difficult for the child to fall asleep. In addition, there is a transition from special nutrition to a common table, which may be accompanied by the appearance of pathological symptoms, in the form of diathesis or indigestion.

Insomnia in a 2-year-old child can be relieved by correcting the daily regimen. It is necessary to reduce the spectacular and moving loads. Stop outdoor games three hours before bedtime. Observe a diet, in the diet, to prevent errors in the work of the digestive system of the body.

Preschoolers

A kid of 3–6 years old is already an independent person who can do everything. He is sociable, attends kindergarten, watches TV for a sufficient time, communicates with both adults and peers. The first conflicts with children appear. The psychological load on the nervous system increases. There is an increased risk of infection with various diseases in the children's team. The discomfort from physical suffering prevents the baby from sleeping normally.

Various cartoons or television programs with a negative storyline, as well as outdoor games before bedtime, have an exciting effect on the central nervous system. An immature nervous system cannot process the entire flow of information. As a result, nightmares and nightmares arise, a fear of the dark develops, which make the baby wake up crying and call his parents. Possible conflicts in the family complement the negative effect on the child's fragile psyche.

In schoolchildren and adolescents

Starting school is stressful for the child. A new team, a large training load and adaptation to a new life are becoming a great challenge for the nervous system of a growing organism. On this basis, the occurrence of insomnia in a child of 8 years old is possible. In addition, the transition to a new regime of the day does not always go smoothly.

The first conflicts with classmates give additional stress. At the age of 7–8, a first grader goes through his second pubertal period in development, when internal organs and the central nervous system continue to form. An increased school load can lead to insomnia in a 9-year-old child if he does not cope with the school curriculum.

At this age, health problems are possible, which can lead to the development of insomnia. It can be a pathology from the heart, various disorders in the work of the nervous system, in the form of tics, muscle twitching against the background of emotional lability, diseases of the endocrine system.

As the child grows, 11–12 years old, the third pubertal period begins, associated with hormonal changes in the body. Puberty begins earlier in girls. In this adolescence, children begin to devote a lot of time to computer games, often with a negative storyline, there are more conflicts with peers, parents and teachers.

All these phenomena are complemented by an increasing educational load, which can lead to insomnia in a 11-year-old child. Family conflicts or trauma associated with the divorce of parents or the loss of a loved one can lead to a neuropsychic breakdown.

The danger of lack of sleep in toddlers

Sleep is an important need for the normal functioning of any organism, especially for children. It is during sleep that the growth and formation of the child's internal systems occurs. Lack of sleep in childhood has a negative effect on all organs, and, first of all, on the central nervous system. This pathological condition threatens with problems in the future, not only in physical, but also in mental development.

The child's body is very sensitive to sleep problems that have arisen. Lack of sleep in babies provokes a decrease in the body's resistance to various infections. In addition, there is a lag in the weight and height of the child. The little man becomes capricious, eats badly. If the cause of insomnia is not eliminated and sleep is not normalized, mental retardation is possible in the future.

The danger of sleep deprivation in schoolchildren

If a student constantly does not get his hours of rest, then, first of all, the nervous system begins to suffer, which does not have time to return to normal. As a result of lack of sleep, the processes of arousal, in the cerebral cortex, begin to prevail over the processes of inhibition, which is reflected in its external behavior.

Decreases activity and academic performance. There is a slowdown in reaction when communicating with peers. Logical and associative thinking begins to suffer. The child becomes irritable, whiny. If insomnia is not stopped, depression may develop in the future. And this is already a serious complication that requires medical treatment.

Lack of sleep at school age can provoke the development of diseases of internal organs, as there is a decrease in immunity. The student begins to complain about his health. Therefore, it is very important to prevent the development of complications. Having found out in time the cause of the child's sleep disturbance, parents can cope with insomnia without medication.

Treatment for insomnia in children

To find out the reason for the development of this pathological condition, it is necessary for the mother to observe the child, his behavior, and contacts with peers. To exclude any disease, the child must be examined by a pediatrician. If no infectious or somatic diseases have been identified, the doctor will give recommendations on the correct daily regimen.

If a student is irritable, whiny, conflicted, has problems with studies, a neurologist should be consulted to determine the possible damage to the nervous system. Insomnia treatment is aimed at relieving symptoms of central nervous system arousal and eliminating sleep disturbances. Medication is prescribed for children only by a specialist and only for certain indications.

It is strictly forbidden to use any medications for children on their own. In babies under three years of age, drug therapy for sleep disorders is prohibited. At an older age, treatment with medications is possible only as prescribed by a doctor, and by means of medicinal herbs, such as:

A good effect is the treatment of sleep disorders with homeopathic remedies, which include extracts from herbs presented in micro doses. Treatment is prescribed only by a homeopathic physician, who determines the remedy, the dose to receive and the duration of the course of treatment.

Drugs that can be used for childhood insomnia are:

Valerianahel - shown to children from two years old;
Normal sleep;
DreamZzz - indicated for children with sleep disorders on the background of a labile nervous system.

The correct organization of the daily regimen and sleep of a child, both a baby and a schoolchild, in combination with medication or home treatment with traditional medicine, will make it possible to stop the symptoms of insomnia and its complications.

Doctor Komarovsky about the rules of children's sleep

Treatment of insomnia in children must be carried out, first of all, with the creation of a comfortable sleeping environment for the child. The well-known pediatrician, Dr. Komarovsky, gives recommendations, following which you can easily put the child to bed, ensuring peace for the whole family.

A good night's rest for a little man depends largely on his parents. It is very important to create conditions for him to sleep normally. If there are signs of insomnia, it is necessary to follow certain measures recommended by Dr. Komarovsky.

They are needed not only for toddlers, but also for children of preschool and school age. Only strict adherence to them and treatment, according to indications, with medications or traditional medicine, will help stop the symptoms of insomnia and restore healthy sleep to the child.