children s health issues
Sleep Problems in Children
Awakening During the Night
Everyone awakens multiple times each night. Most people, however, usually fall back to sleep on their own. Children often have repeated episodes of night awakening after a move, an illness, or another stressful event. Sleeping problems may be worsened when children take long naps late in the afternoon or are overstimulated by playing before bedtime. Sleep sometimes is disrupted by Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD) and Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) , and a few children, particularly those who thrash and snore, may have Allowing the child to sleep with the parents because of the night awakening reinforces the behavior. Playing with or feeding the child during the night, spanking, and scolding also are counterproductive measures. Returning the child to bed with simple reassurance is usually more effective. A bedtime routine that includes reading a brief story, offering a favorite doll or blanket, and using a small night-light (for children who are older than 3) is often helpful. To decrease the likelihood of the child awakening, it is important that the conditions and location under which the child awakens during the night are the same as those under which the child falls asleep. Thus, although a child may be allowed to settle down in another location (for example, in another room with the parents), the child should not be fully asleep when placed in the crib or bed. Parents and other caregivers should try to keep to a routine each night, so that the child learns what is expected. If children are physically healthy, allowing them to cry for a few minutes often allows them to settle down by themselves, which will diminish the night awakenings. 