Problems Staying Asleep

Night wakings are most likely to occur in infants if they haven't learned how to fall asleep on their own.  If a baby always falls asleep in a parent's arms or sucking a pacifier or bottle, he's likely to cry out in protest and confusion when he wakes and finds the person or object missing.  To overcome this problem, make sure the baby's last memory is not of being held or fed but of being by himself in the bed in which he'll spend the night.

Nightmares

Nightmares are common in children, particularly before age seven.  Often they reflect the normal emotional concerns of childhood; loss of love, separation, toilet training and dealing with aggressive or sexual impulses.

Occasional nightmares are part of the normal process of growing up.  The best response in reassurance and understanding.  Try talking about your child's worries or concerns during the day.  Frequent nightmares may indicate some physical or emotional stress that's affecting the child or family.

Night Terrors

Children experiencing a night terror awaken abruptly usually with a scream of panic, and are so frightened that parents may have to spend tem minutes just calming them down.  Night terrors is not fully understood, but the risk increases if parents also suffered from them.  Occasional night terrors are considered normal in youngsters.  Parents often are more upset than the child, who frequently does not remember the episode.  However, if siblings or friends tease a child about screaming and crying in the night, the child may be deeply embarrassed.

Bedwetting

About 15 percent of all five year old still wet their beds.  About 60 percent of bed-wetters are boys.

Medical causes of bedwetting are uncommon, but physicians recommend a medical examination and tests to rule out any physiological problems in children over age five.  Genetic factors play an important role.  If both parents have a history of childhood bedwetting, there's a 75% chance that their child will wet the bed.  If one parent had been a bed wetter, the odds are 45 percent that a child will have difficulty staying dry during the night.

Bedwetting can stem from various causes, including a small bladder, excessively deep sleep, increased urine output or delayed development.  Treatments include bladder training and conditioning methods, such as using a signaling device to waken children if they begin to urinate.

The attitudes of parents, siblings and others are crucial in overcoming a problem and influencing how a child feels about himself and the bedwetting.  The keys are praise, reinforcement and responsibility.  Drug therapy is effective, but because of the risk of side-effects, it is recommended only in certain situations,, such as when a child is going to camp or sleeping at a friend's house.

Sleepwalking

Between the ages of 5 and 12, 10 to 15 percent of children-- with boys outnumbering girls-- walk in their sleep or at least once; 6 percent take to their feet once a week or more.  Possible causes include a still developing central nervous system, high fever or extreme fatigue.  Children whose parents were sleepwalkers are ten times more likely to wander in the night.

If you come upon a sleepwalking child, try not to startle him.  If you must rouse a sleepwalker because he's in danger (standing in front of an open second-story window, for instance), don't yell, slap or shake him or splash cold water on his face.  Repeat his name calmly until he show signs of response, reassure him that he's ok and guide him back to bed.

Most children outgrow sleepwalking, but parents should make the environment as safe a s possible.  Lock windows and doors to the outside and keep the keys with you.  Install protective gates at stairs and hide dangerous objects.  Answer a child's questions about sleepwalking frankly, but don't pay excessive attention to it.

Medical Causes

Any illness or injury can affect a child's sleep.  In young children, ear infections are common culprits.  In older children, parents should listen for breathing difficulties or odd noises, including loud snoring.  The problem may be enlarged tonsils or adenoids, which are blocking the youngsters airway during the night.  Surgery can eliminate the problem.

Extreme daytime sleepiness may indicate serious sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, a dangerous breathing disruption or narcolepsy, a disorder of the sleep control mechanism in the brain.  Parents should have a pediatrician check out any sleep disturbance that interferes with a child's normal daytime behavior for more than two weeks.

Coping Without Sleep:  A Survival Guide for Parents

Nothing makes it harder to sleep like a baby than having one.  Not surprisingly, the number one complain of new parents is fatigue.  If, for a least a little while, you have to get by with less rest than you like, here are some tips for making it through the night-- and the next day.

• Set up a routine for your baby and yourself.  A fairly regular schedule will make you feel more in control of your life and will help your baby establish a sense of day and night.
• Make sleep a priority.  Given a choice between doing the laundry, shopping or catching some shut-eye, head for the bed.  You'll have more energy for housework and other chores after a snooze.
• Sleep when and where you can.  You may not be able to set seven or eight solid hours of sleep for many nights to come, so supplement nightly rest with daytime naps.  The best time:  whenever your baby naps.  Even a 10 or 20 minute catnap may help recharge your batteries.
• Take care of yourself.  Eat nutritious meals and don't skip any.  Avoid too much caffeine, which can jangle your nerves and make it harder for you t fall asleep when you want to, and alcohol, which can undermine the quality of your sleep.  Try to get some exercise every day, which will help you relax and build up your stamina.
• If you're sleeping on a bed that 's more than eight to tem years old, now is a good time to invest in a quality mattress and foundation.  Shop with your partner and buy the best sleep set you can afford.  The difference in comfortable sleep that a new mattress can provide is a difference your deserve.
• Get help.  When relatives, neighbors, friends or colleagues offer assistance, take them up on it.  Be specific about our needs.  For example, ask a neighbor the have an older child over for a visit so you can nap, or have friend stop by the grocery store for you.  If you can afford household help, consider it an investment in your sanity and good spirits.
• Lower your expectations.  Your house may not be as tidy as it once was.  You may not be a s productive, efficient or amiable.  Take one day at a time, and don't bush yourself.
• Tell yourself often, that this too will pass and that someday you and your baby will once again be sleeping all night long.

Source: Operation Safe Sleep