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

The child does not sleep well at night - this is quite a frequent phenomenon, which according to statistics is observed in 25% of the total number of families where there are children. Children up to a year periodically wake up at night for understandable reasons, they need to be fed, to change diapers. The sleep of newborns is not subject to the rules of circadianism, that is, to the daily rhythm. Only by four months the baby begins to get used to the change of day and night, and his sleep is gradually regulated. Violation of sleep and sleep process neuropathologists consider as a compensatory response of the body to an unusual regime, internal dysfunction of organs or systems, psycho-emotional external stress.

Why does a child not sleep well at night?

Among the most common reasons why a child does not sleep well at night, one can name the following: 

• Change of territory, bed, the mode of falling asleep. If a child is accustomed to motion sickness or lullabies, any exclusion of these customary rituals can disturb sleep. 
• Violations of the daily regime as a whole. Irregular daytime sleep, late eating, walking can lead to the fact that the child's internal clock will stop working at night. 
• Overly active, funny games before going to bed, watching movies with aggressive content, attending concerts with a large crowd of people, going to visit in the evening can provoke the child's excessive excitability and disturb his sleep. 
• Intrafamily conflicts, tense situation in the family. Do not think that the baby is too small to understand quarrels and clarify the relationship between the parents. In childhood it is really difficult to analyze the causes of conflicts, but the kid feels everything and often, unable to find the cause of family discomfort, blames himself. Emotional injuries also often provoke sleep disorders in children. 
• Adaptation period to the new collective, regime, setting - kindergarten, school. 
• Congenital properties of the nervous system, increased excitability, sensitivity. Such children are sensitive to everything that happens in the outside world, passing through themselves information and impressions. Therefore, the child does not sleep well at night, "treating" emotions during a night's sleep. 
• Chronic stress associated with a gross violation of the rules of upbringing and development of the child (antisocial families). 
• Internal chronic diseases often occur asymptomatically, manifesting as the first signs of nocturnal awakenings. 
• The pubertal period, which is accompanied by intensive growth of many organs, systems, including hormonal.

What can you do yourself when a child does not sleep well at night?

Among the reasons listed above, the reasons for the outward appearance prevail, which if desired can be eliminated independently, without medical assistance. However, there are also more serious symptoms that signal possible concealed pathologies, which the doctor must deal with.

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

• All kinds of swinging movements (rocking). The child swings, like a pendulum, often sitting in bed, not opening his eyes. Wiggle can be common (whole body), one head can swing. These manifestations are characteristic of children under the age of one year, most often in six to eight months. If signs of swing appear after a year, you need a consultation of a neurologist. 
• The child does not sleep well at night, which has a disturbance in the functioning of the nervous system; At night, he can rise on his hands and, lying on his stomach, beat his head against the pillow. Such "heartbeat" is observed in children under the age of one year, this symptom requires the help of a child neurologist. 
• Children between the ages of one and a half to three years who have a history of hyperexcitability, hypertension of the muscles, can move in a dream "shuttle" way: standing on all fours, the baby swings back and forth. Such nightly manifestations need to be observed to find out how often they are repeated. If these symptoms occur within two to three weeks, the child should be shown to a neurologist. 
• If parents notice that a child does not sleep well at night, during a dream, sits from a prone position and again goes to bed, or raises and lowers his head on the pillow several times, you need to see a doctor. Similar symptoms in neurology are called the "folding" syndrome and can indicate dysfunction of the nervous system. 
• Neurotic sucking, which is manifested in many children, lies in the fact that the child does not sleep well at night; he will not fall asleep if his finger does not suck. Up to a year, such manifestations are not considered pathologies, but at an older age are a direct indication of the version of the child's neurosis. Paradoxical fact: statistics say that thumb sucking is characteristic of children who grow up in a family that is outwardly well off with a fairly high material income. Basically such a symptom is demonstrated by girls between the ages of 2 and 10. Neuropathologist and psychologist should find out the cause of neurotic manifestation. 
• Puberty sexual manifestations in the form of masturbation are often the cause of sleep disorders in adolescents. Such actions are often performed unconsciously during sleep and are characteristic for both boys and girls. Episodic manifestations are considered physiological age norms, but their regular repetition can be fixed in the mental structure of the adolescent and later lead to perversions (sexual deviations). This symptomatology should be supervised as correctly and delicately as possible, it is necessary to conduct confidential conversations and explanations. In difficult cases, you should contact a child psychologist.

Sleep disorders in the form of paroxysms (seizures, seizures) also relate to anxiety symptoms, indicating a possible hidden pathology. The most typical paroxysmal signs are the following: 

• Reflective flinches. During falling asleep (in the slow phase of sleep), shaking is a relative physiological norm. However, regular flinches in the middle phase of sleep can speak, at least about excessive emotional excitability, and about nervous disorders as a maximum. This symptom is especially alarming in the adolescent period, when the formation of the nervous system and many mental processes are coming to an end. In such situations it will be appropriate to help a neurologist. 
• A creak, gnashing of teeth (bruxism). The characteristic sound of teeth, which is published at night, suggests that sleep is not full and intermittent. Bruxism should not be associated with a mythical belief about "worms," medical statistics have no confirmed facts. However, scratching the teeth with the night can be evidence of jaw pathology, latent neurosis and other neurological dysfunctions. If the grinding repeats within a month, the child should be shown to the pediatrician, neurologist and dentist. 
• Attacks of suffocation, similar to asthmatic, can occur at any age - from six months to 13-14 years. Unlike classical asthma, seizures are repeated only at night and very exhaust the child. Most often this symptom is characteristic of latent hysteria, less often for allergies. A comprehensive examination and an adequate therapy are required. 
• Exacerbation of pain in internal organs and systems in the night period - niktalgii. A latent somatic disease often occurs asymptomatically or with clinically weakly manifested symptoms. Due to the motor activity, mobility, speed, attention switching pain during the day is almost not noticed by the child. However, at night the control centers weaken, and the pain sensations begin to manifest intensively, paroxysmally. Such symptoms, repeated for two to three days, require immediate medical attention. 
• Adjuvant manifestations in the form of screams are fears. The child does not sleep well at night, he can scream for a long time - up to five minutes, without showering. If a child is awakened, he can not remember his nightmare, and again falls asleep. Single night screams are not considered an alarming sign, however night fears, lasting more than three days, need psychocorrection. 
• Nausea, vomiting often accompany night terrors. Such manifestations also require the help of a neuropathologist and a psychologist.

The child does not sleep well at night, the symptomatic, which belongs to the category of psychic, appears in the dream. Similar signs should be supervised by a neuropathologist, having previously appointed a comprehensive examination. Psychic symptoms include: 

• Sleepwalking (somnambulism). We should not consider sleep as a temporary behavioral trait, unfortunately, most often the initial stage of epilepsy and psychopathological deviations (dromomania) appear. Need neurological correction and comprehensive examination. 
• Nightmares. If nightmares are a single episode, it is sufficient to eliminate external stimuli and apply available means of relaxation (a warm bath, walks, quiet conversations). If nightmares become regular, you need the help of a child psychiatrist. Nightmares should be differentiated from bouts of nighttime fears. Fears are manifested in the form of paroxysmal cries, the kid does not remember what caused this reaction at night on waking, or in the morning. Nightmares do remember for a long time, he begins to think about them even during the day, more and more impressed.

The child does not sleep well at night most often for reasons that can be attributed to the objective, external. These reasons simply neutralize in order to restore the full sleep of the child. However, there are many disturbing signs that indicate possible pathologies. The sooner parents turn to a doctor for help, the more effective, the faster the treatment will be.