Childhood Sleep Disorders
There are many types of common sleep disorders that children suffer from during childhood. Common forms of sleep disorders are sleepwalking, infant apnea and bed wetting. These disorders will be examined in terms of symptoms and treatments.
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Significance
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Sleepwalking occurs during slow-wave sleep and results in a child walking or wandering about during the sleep cycle. About 18 percent of the population has this condition. It is more common in children than adults. Boys are reported to have more cases than girls of this condition. It often begins at an early age and ends in later childhood. At times it continues into adulthood. Infant sleep apnea occurs when the child suffers from a temporary stopping of breath of 10 or 15 seconds while sleeping. An obstructive apnea occurs when airways are blocked due to premature birth or deformity in body. Bed wetting is the inability to control urine during sleep, thus leading to wetting the bed at night. The brain for some reason does not signal the child that the bladder is full, so the child does not wake up or is in a deep sleep.
Function
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There are several symptoms for sleepwalking. When it occurs you will have trouble waking the child up, the child may just sit up in bed or walk or run around the room. During the episodes the child may mutter or say things he does not usually say. The child does not usually remember the episode. Those with infant sleep apnea often stop breathing for a few seconds, or the facial color is not good, or they have difficulty breathing through the mouth or nose. Bed wetting does not have any symptoms except the wet bed and often you cannot wake up the child. They can wet the bed every night or once a week. It is stressful for the child and often runs in families.
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Types
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Each of the factors that cause sleepwalking, sleep apnea and bed wetting is different. Sleepwalking is often caused by lack of sleep, stress, certain types of prescribed medications taken, interrupted sleep and illness or fever. If a premature baby has sleep apnea, then they are often monitored at the hospital or at home. Sometimes children with sleep apnea have trouble paying attention during the day and behavior problems. Often the child has larger-than-usual tonsil or adenoids that cause the breathing problem in children. Overweight children often suffer from sleep apnea. The cause of bed wetting often is physical; there is an imbalance in size of the bladder muscles or the kidneys or bladder is smaller than other children's. Sometimes children drink too many liquids or have a chronic condition.
Prevention/Solution
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Those parents with children with sleepwalking problems often try to change the sleep-wake cycle to end the problem. Bedtime is at the same time every night to end any chance of sleep deprivation. Parents should restrict fluids at night and remove anything in the bedroom that can hurt the child. The best location for the child's bedroom is on the first floor for safety. Keeping a diary on infant sleep apena can determine if your child has a problem. Another factor is if your child is overweight, losing weight through diet and exercise might treat the problem. Consulting a good physician for any sleep disorder is important.
Considerations
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In sleepwalking, a physical exam by a doctor can determine the problem. Some doctors prescribe medications to help the child by prescription, some recommend that counseling or psychiatric treatment be sought, and others try hypnosis with good results for sleepwalking. Often the major treatment for infant sleep apnea is surgery in which the tonsils or adenoids are removed because they are too large in the child. Other treatments may be sleep gear or medications. The most common treatment for bed wetting is behavior modification, alarm devices and medications. For more information on sleep disorders and treatments, visit the website listed in additional resources section.
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