Sleep alert!
Ever notice your child having sleepless nights, night wakings and nightmares? These are some of the most common sleeping problems for school-age children. But they also experience problems like the following:
Sleepwalking. As many as 40 percent of children walk or move about during sleep. Sleepwalking has a genetic factor with boys being more likely to sleepwalk than girls. Onset is generally between the ages of 3 to 7 with remission in the teenage years, but it may continue into adulthood. Sleepwalking often occurs one to two hours after going to sleep. The sleepwalking incident may last 5 to 20 minutes. The child is usually difficult to wake while sleepwalking, and she usually does not remember moving about.
Bruxism. Teeth-grinding often begins in childhood; a dentist will notice the damage to her teeth. When a child grinds her teeth, an unusually loud noise is produced. The child doe not remember grinding her teeth but may complain of a sore jaw in the morning. Stress is related to bruxism.
Sleep terrors. Sleep terrors are common in young children and are significantly different than a nightmare. A sleep terror is an abrupt episode that occurs during deep sleep in the first part of the night. The child screams out in distress and often flails her arms. Generally, children between the ages 4 and 8 experience sleep terrors. Restraining the child only causes her to fight back. Therefore, it is best to let the child get through the sleep terror in a safe place where she cannot hurt herself.
Snoring. Ten to twelve percent of all children snore. One to three percent of children with loud or regular snoring have a medical condition called sleep apnea. Apnea is characterized by pauses in breathing ranging from a few seconds to one minute long, as well as repeated arousals from sleep. Children with sleep apnea often have enlarged tonsils causing an airway obstruction. Other symptoms of sleep apnea include abnormal sleep positions, frequent headaches, regularly breathing through the mouth, and heavy sweating during sleep. Untreated apnea can cause daytime sleepiness, behavioral problems, school difficulties, and lead to other more serious problems.