Posts Tagged "Sleep"

A pediatric parasomnia is a childhood condition that disrupts sleep. Parasomnias are actually much more common in children than they are in adults, and most children grow out of them over time. The most common parasomnia other than nightmares is sleepwalking. Although it can be distressing to see your child walking around confusedly in the middle of the night, there is usually little to worry about.

Common Conditions Involving Sleep

Parasomnias, such as sleepwalking, usually run in families. However, some of them can be caused by brain disorders, sleep disorders, irregular sleep schedules, and general anxiety. Most of the time, children who sleepwalk do not need any treatments as this condition usually goes away on its own by the teenage years.

What to do if Your Child has these Conditions

While sleepwalking itself is not usually dangerous, it can lead to dangerous consequences if your child is not in a safe location as he walks. For this reason, you may need to invest in extra locks on doors leading out of your home and will want to lock bedroom windows and remove dangerous items from your child’s room.

Similarly, if your child talks in his sleep, there is most likely little for you to worry about unless it happens frequently or goes on for years. Frequent sleep talking could point to high amounts of stress and anxiety in your child, which may need to be treated so that it does not negatively impact other areas of his life.

Nearly every parent has had the experience of comforting a child after a distressing dream. However, if these episodes occur too frequently or seem to be leading to daytime anxiety in your child, you may be wondering if there is something that you should do. It is important to understand the differences between nightmares and night terrors and to know when you should seek help from your child’s physician.

How Do Nightmares Happen?

Nightmares are scary dreams that awaken children. Sometimes they occur after your child has watched or read something scary. Other times, they occur for no apparent reason. These dreams typically occur during the REM portion of sleep, and your child will probably be able to tell you what happened during the dream.

Your child will need you to comfort him if he is going through either of these issues. Talking through what happened, staying with your child while he is awake, and leaving the bedroom door open can help your child calm down enough to go back to sleep after a nightmare. However, because a night terror can result in a great panic, you will need to protect your child from bodily harm while resisting the urge to wake him up in the middle of the episode.

Handling Night Terrors

Nightmares are usually not harmful. Most children outgrow them or find that they become less problematic if they avoid certain television shows, books, or video games. However, if the nightmares are intruding on your child’s daytime life or causing him undue anxiety, you should contact his pediatrician.

Similarly, night terrors are typically not harmful as long as they are not regularly interrupting your child’s sleep. If the episodes last longer than half an hour or if your child becomes stiff or starts to drool during an episode, you should immediately reach out to his pediatrician because this could indicate an underlying problem.