American Medical Association Family Medical Guide - American Medical Association [190]
Bedtime routine
To help your child get a good night’s sleep, establish a regular bedtime and bedtime routine that includes calming activities such as reading a story. Try to read to your child every night. Not only does it give you a chance to relax and share an experience with your child, it also stimulates the development of your child’s brain.
Despite these measures, your child still may find it difficult to fall asleep or may wake often during the night. Ask your child’s doctor to recommend ways to help your baby fall asleep and stay asleep. If your child is older and is snoring as well as having difficulty sleeping, he or she may have a disorder such as enlarged adenoids (see page 419). If sleeplessness becomes a persistent, difficult problem for you and your child, the doctor may refer you to a specialist such as a neurologist or a psychiatrist for further evaluation and possible treatment.
WARNING!
Do Not Give Sleep Medication to Children
Sleep medication can interfere with normal sleep, disrupt a child’s sleep patterns, and suppress breathing. If your child has problems sleeping, talk to your doctor.
Nightmares
Nightmares are frightening dreams that usually occur late at night when a child is in deep sleep. When a child has a nightmare, he or she wakes up frightened and may scream or cry. Although children of all ages have occasional nightmares, children between ages 3 and 6 experience them the most. Nightmares usually occur after a child has witnessed a disturbing incident, heard a scary story, or watched a frightening movie or television program. Occasionally, nightmares signal that a child is experiencing unresolved stress caused by problems at home or at school.
The best way to deal with nightmares is to comfort your child. Turn the lights on to reassure your child that it was only a dream. Hug your child, and take his or her mind off the disturbance by speaking soothingly about something pleasant. Reassure your child that nothing will harm him or her. If your child has frequent, recurring nightmares, try leaving a night-light on in his or her room. To try to find out what the underlying problem is, ask him or her to talk about it.
Comfort for nightmares
If your child wakes up frightened and crying from a nightmare, comfort and reassure him or her. Stay with your child until he or she is calm and ready to go back to sleep.
Night terrors
A night terror is another type of frightening dream that occurs most often in children between ages 2 and 5. When a child has a night terror, he or she screams or cries out suddenly during sleep and jumps out of bed. The child looks terrified and may be sweating and breathing rapidly. He or she may talk or babble and have wide-open eyes but is still asleep. The child may not recognize familiar people, such as his or her parents, and may be difficult to wake. Doctors do not know what causes night terrors.
If your child has a night terror, check to make sure that he or she is not ill or injured. Because the child is still asleep, he or she may not calm down even when you hold or talk to him or her. The child will usually stop crying or screaming after a few minutes.
Sleepwalking
Sleepwalking is a disorder in which changes in the electrical activity of the brain during sleep cause a child to awaken partially during the night. The child may sit up in bed and perform repetitive movements or may get out of bed and walk around. He or she will not respond to others.
If your child is sleepwalking, do not wake him or her. Instead, silently guide your child back to bed. The child will usually fall back into a deep sleep and will not remember the incident. To protect your child, put a gate in his or her bedroom doorway and across the top of any stairs, and close any accessible windows.
If Your Child Has Sleep Problems
Most children outgrow nightmares,