The child does not sleep well at night: why and what to do?

A child sleeps poorly at night - this is a fairly common phenomenon, which, according to statistics, is observed in 25% of the total number of families with children. Children under one year of age periodically wake up at night for quite understandable reasons, they need to be fed, their diapers changed. The sleep of newborns is not subject to the rules of circadian rhythm, that is, the daily rhythm. Only by four months does the baby begin to get used to the change of day and night, and his sleep is gradually regulated. Neurologists consider the disruption of falling asleep and the sleep process as a compensatory response of the body to an unusual regime, internal dysfunction of organs or systems, psycho-emotional external stress.

Why does the child sleep poorly at night?

Among the most common reasons why a child sleeps poorly at night are the following:

• Change of territory, bed, sleep routine. If the child is accustomed to rocking or lullabies, any exception to these usual rituals can disrupt sleep.
• Violations of the daytime routine in general. Irregular daytime sleep, untimely meals, walks can lead to the fact that the child's internal "clock" will stop working at night.
• Excessively active, fun games before bedtime, watching movies with aggressive content, attending concerts with large crowds of people, going to visit in the evening can provoke excessive excitability of the child and disrupt his sleep.
• Intra-family conflicts, tense atmosphere in the family. You should not think that the child is too young to understand quarrels and showdowns between parents. In childhood, it is really difficult to analyze the causes of conflicts, but the baby feels everything and often, unable to find the cause of family discomfort, blames himself. Emotional traumas also often provoke sleep disorders in children.
• Adaptation period to a new team, routine, environment – kindergarten, school.
• Innate properties of the nervous system, increased excitability, sensitivity. Such children react sensitively to everything that happens in the outside world, passing information and impressions through themselves. Therefore, the child sleeps poorly at night, "processing" emotions during night sleep.
• Chronic stress associated with gross violation of the rules of upbringing and development of the child (antisocial families).
• Internal chronic diseases often proceed asymptomatically, manifesting themselves as the first signs of night awakenings.
• Puberty is a period that is accompanied by intensive growth of many organs and systems, including the hormonal system.

What can you do on your own when your child doesn’t sleep well at night?

Among the listed reasons, external reasons prevail, which, if desired, can be eliminated independently, without medical assistance. However, there are also more serious symptoms that signal possible hidden pathologies, which a doctor should deal with.

The most alarming signs that indicate possible psycho-vegetative problems are the following:

• All kinds of rocking movements (swinging). The baby rocks like a pendulum, often sitting in bed, without opening his eyes. The rocking can be general (the whole body), or only the head can rock. These manifestations are typical for babies under one year of age, most often at six to eight months. If signs of rocking appear after a year, a consultation with a neurologist is needed.
• A child who has problems sleeping at night and has problems with the functioning of the nervous system; at night he can rise on his hands and, lying on his stomach, hit his head on the pillow. Such "beating" is observed in children under one year of age, this symptom requires the help of a pediatric neurologist.
• Children aged one and a half to three years, who have a history of hyper excitability, hypertonicity of muscles, may move in a "shuttle" manner in their sleep: standing on all fours, the baby rocks back and forth. Such night manifestations should be observed to find out how often they recur. If these signs appear within two to three weeks, the child should be shown to a neurologist.
• If parents notice that the child sleeps poorly at night, sits up from a lying position and then lies down again in bed, or lifts and lowers the head onto the pillow several times, they should consult a doctor. Such symptoms in neurology are called "folding" syndrome and may indicate dysfunction of the nervous system.
• Neurotic sucking, which manifests itself in many children, consists in the fact that the child sleeps poorly at night; he will not fall asleep if he does not suck his finger. Up to a year, such manifestations are not considered a pathology, but at an older age they are a direct indication of a variant of childhood neurosis. A paradoxical fact: statistics say that thumb sucking is typical for children who grow up in outwardly prosperous families with a fairly high material wealth. Basically, such a symptom is demonstrated by girls aged 2 to 10 years. A neurologist and psychologist should determine the cause of the neurotic manifestation.
• Pubertal sexual manifestations in the form of masturbation are quite often the cause of sleep disorders in adolescents. Such actions are often performed unconsciously during sleep and are typical for both boys and girls. Episodic manifestations are considered a physiological age norm, but their regular repetition can become entrenched in the mental structure of a teenager and subsequently lead to perversions (sexual deviations). These symptoms should be treated as correctly and delicately as possible, confidential conversations and explanations should be held. In difficult cases, you should contact a child psychologist.

Sleep disturbances in the form of paroxysms (attacks, seizures) are also alarming symptoms indicating a possible hidden pathology. The most typical paroxysmal signs are the following:

• Reflex twitches. During falling asleep (in the slow phase of sleep), twitching is a relatively physiological norm. However, regular twitches in the middle phase of sleep may indicate, at a minimum, excessive emotional excitability, and, at a maximum, nervous disorders. This symptom is considered especially alarming in adolescence, when the formation of the nervous system and many mental processes are nearing completion. In such situations, the help of a neurologist would be appropriate.
• Grinding, gnashing of teeth (bruxism). The characteristic sound of teeth, which is made at night, indicates that sleep is not full and intermittent. Bruxism should not be associated with the mythical belief about "worms", medical statistics have no confirmed facts. However, grinding of teeth at night can indicate jaw pathology, latent neurosis and other neurological dysfunctions. If grinding is repeated within a month, the child should be shown to a pediatrician, neurologist and dentist.
• Asthmatic asthma attacks can occur at any age – from six months to 13-14 years. Unlike classic asthma, attacks occur only at night and are very exhausting for the child. Most often, this symptom is characteristic of latent hysteria, less often of allergies. A comprehensive examination and adequate therapy are required.
• Exacerbation of pain in internal organs and systems at night - nyctalgia. A latent somatic disease often proceeds asymptomatically or with clinically weakly manifested signs. Due to motor activity, mobility, speed of switching attention, pain during the day is practically not noticed by the child. However, at night, the control centers weaken, and pain sensations begin to manifest themselves intensely, paroxysmally. Such symptoms, recurring for two or three days, require immediate medical attention.
• Periosomotor manifestations in the form of screams are fears. The child sleeps poorly at night, he can scream for quite a long time - up to five minutes, without falling asleep. If the child is woken up, he cannot remember his nightmare, and falls asleep again. Single night screams are not considered an alarming sign, but night fears that last more than three days require psychocorrection.
• Nausea and vomiting attacks often accompany night terrors. Such manifestations also require the help of a neurologist and psychologist.

The child sleeps poorly at night, and during sleep, symptoms related to the mental category appear. Such signs should be monitored by a neurologist, having previously prescribed a comprehensive examination. Mental symptoms include:

• Sleepwalking (somnambulism). Sleepwalking should not be considered a temporary behavioral symptom; unfortunately, it is most often a manifestation of the initial stage of epilepsy and psychopathological deviations (dromomania). Neurological correction and a comprehensive examination are needed.
• Nightmares. If nightmares are a single episode, it is enough to eliminate external irritants and use available relaxation methods (warm bath, walks, calm conversations). If nightmares become regular, help from a child psychiatrist is needed. Nightmares should be differentiated from attacks of night fears. Fears manifest themselves in the form of paroxysmal screams, the baby does not remember what caused such a reaction either at night upon awakening or in the morning. Nightmares are remembered for a long time, he begins to think about them even during the day, becoming increasingly impressed.

A child sleeps poorly at night most often for reasons that can be attributed to objective, external ones. These reasons are quite easy to neutralize in order to restore the child's full sleep. However, there are many alarming signs that indicate possible pathologies. The sooner parents seek help from a doctor, the more effective and faster the treatment will be.