How to understand that the child does not have enough sleep, and what to do about it

Why you need to monitor your child's sleep

Because chronic sleep deprivation in young children leads to growth retardation and mental development, the formation of speech and memory. At an older age, lack of quality sleep causes learning problems, mood swings, and is often associated with bad habits and risky behavior.

Why a child may not get enough sleep

At first, the parents are mostly responsible for the regimen. But the older the child becomes, the more the quantity and quality of sleep will depend on him. behavior. There are also common factors for any age, such as illness or side effects of drugs. One way or another, most often sleep lacks for several reasons, here are the most popular.

Due to personal choice

As you get older, there are many more fun things to do in life than sleep. Therefore, children try to delay bedtime as much as possible: first with the help of an endless cycle of “I want to drink - I want to pee”, then with the help of books, the phone and sitting at the computer at midnight.

Due to unsuitable sleeping conditions

The room may be too hot, cold or light, and the TV or household appliances make noise behind the wall. In addition, sometimes very small brothers and sisters who wake up to eat or because of wet diapers.

Due to poor sleep hygiene

Our habits and routine greatly affect our ability to relax and fall asleep. Children are disturbed by outdoor games right before falling asleep, watching cartoons and sitting on the phone, and a hearty dinner. The youngest are excited even by late bathing.

Because of illness

Especially often sleep is disturbed by a cold with a lingering cough or stuffy nose and allergy. From this, both children and adults often wake up at night and generally sleep very poorly.

Due to medications taken

With some medications, such as epilepsy medications, insomnia is a common side effect.

Due to sleep disorders

If everyone has occasional lack of sleep, then sleep disorders are already a medical problem. These include insomnia, sleep apnea (or short-term pauses in breathing) during sleep, restless legs syndrome, and other diseases.

How to understand that the child is not sleeping

If there is not enough sleep, fatigue will gradually accumulate. To prevent this, you need to ensure that the child sleeps for the time allotted to him. But children desperately resist this: either they are too young to say that they are tired, or they are too old to recognizethat it's time for them to go to bed. So you have to rely on signs of fatigue.

What distinguishes adult children from the tendency is not to slow down, but, as it were, “accelerate». They may appear more active than usual when they are tired. Therefore, the longer falling asleep is delayed, the more difficult it will be to calm them down. This is especially true for babies.

The better you learn to notice the first signs of fatigue, the more likely you are to fall asleep peacefully without a full-blown tantrum due to overwork.

In infancy

Babies usually start:

• fuss, whine, be capricious;
• "stick" to one point;
• rub your eyes;
• pull yourself by the ears;
• to yawn.

At preschool age

Tired toddlers and preschoolers turn into something completely unbearable: they are capricious and contradictory. The fact is that they feel bad, but they do not know how to help themselves, and wind up getting stronger. In addition to the crying, yawning, and eye-rubbing that babies experience, they also:

• become very sticky;
• be hyperactive in the middle of the night or during daytime sleep;
• quickly irritated and lose their temper;
• interact less with peers or parents.

At primary school age

Lack of sleep at school looks a little differently. Child:

• wakes up with difficulty in the morning and asks to rearrange the alarm clock several times;
• experiencing frequent mood swings
• concentrates worse on tasks and studies worse;
• looks tired and sleepy for a long time after waking up;
• sleeps for a long time on weekends and fits in daytime sleep.

In adolescence

Adolescents have symptoms in general match with younger students, but risky behavior is added to them, such as absenteeism to sleep. In addition, children with chronic lack of sleep are more likely to engage in fights, take alcohol and illegal substances.

How to improve sleep in a child

Quality sleep requires a comfortable environment and the right routine for falling asleep.

Create a comfortable sleep environment

To sleep well, in the room must be:

• darkness (but you can leave a night light);
• silence;
• cool comfortable temperature (about 20 degrees);
• comfortable mattress, pillow and bed linen.

Determine how much sleep your baby needs

Need for sleep is different depending on age.

You need to focus on these values, but in the end everything will depend on the individual child: pay attention not only to the norms, but also to signs of fatigue.

Stick to a sleep routine

To fall asleep quickly, it is better to adhere to daily rituals, that is, repetitive steps. For example, for a toddler it could be:

1. Bathing.
2. Teeth cleaning.
3. Putting on pajamas.
4. Reading before bed.
5. Embrace.
6. A special request before bed.

And every evening at a certain time you repeat these steps with the child. It is important to adhere to this regime not only on weekdays, but also on weekends and holidays.

At least 30-60 minutes before falling asleep, it is better not to use screens and not engage in active games. Also in the evening it is better to limit sweets and caffeinated soda, and also not to go to bed right after a heavy dinner.

When to See a Doctor for Lack of Sleep

If you have already tried all the ways to improve sleep, but the problem has not disappeared, it may be time to contact your pediatrician. Especially if you notice such signs:

• excessive anxiety, fear and whims before falling asleep;
• snore;
• frequent unexplained nocturnal awakenings;
• nighttime urinary incontinence, especially after 7 years;
• excessive daytime sleepiness, even if you had enough sleep at night.