Reasons for Disruptive Sleep in Children

There are six common causes of disruptive sleep in children and these include

Sleep deprivation
Resistance to sleep/settling problems
Parasomnias
Night walking
Sleep-onset associations
Separation issues

Sleep Deprivation

Any sleep disorder can lead to sleep deprivation. This sleep deprivation can affect a physical and mental health of the children and also has an effect on his/her performance in school and in other social activities.

Sleep deprivation among children is becoming more and more commonplace in our society, to its detriment as it has many debilitating effects on an otherwise healthy child’s life.

Resistance to Sleep/settling Problems

Sometimes children have a resistance to what is known as sleep/settling. Basically this means a child who for one reason or another doesn’t want to sleep and shows this by throwing a tantrum complete with screaming and feet stamping, or constantly thinks of excuses for why he or she is not ready for bed just yet. This can also be seen by kids who simply say to their mothers, I’m not going to bed because I don’t want to.

Parasomnias

Parasomnias are one of the main reasons of disruptive sleep in children. Parasomnias are sleep-related problems that interrupt proper sleep patterns and include

If not kept in check, any one of these problems can develop into more serious concerns for both parent and child.

Night Walking

Night waking refers to times when a child sleeps lightly and/or wakes up without an apparent reason such as discomfort or a loud noise. It is considered as normal if it happens occasionally, as, just like adults, children cannot remain in deep sleep every hour of the night.

However, treatment is required, if night waking starts becoming the norm or the child consistently has problems falling asleep.

Sleep-onset Associations

The most common problem for disruptive sleep in children is sleep-onset associations. Sleep-onset associations refer to what children associate with drifting off to sleep, which they also need if they awake suddenly in the night.

The most positive sleep-onset associations are the ones that don’t incorporate parents or anyone else for that matter.

To encourage a good night’s sleep for your child, put them to bed when they are drowsy but still technically awake. By doing so, they are learning to become independent by going to sleep by themselves.

This helps to foster self-confidence in children and a sense of accomplishment. Children with moody or temperamental dispositions usually need the comfort of sleep-onset associations even more so than other children do.

Separation Issues or Separation Anxiety

Most often, Separation issues or separation anxiety occurs in children under the age of three. By the time a child reaches 8 to 9 months old, he/she has come to understand that mom and dad are still around even if they can’t see them at that precise moment in time.

However it takes a couple more years for their confidence to build about being alone. As a parent you will know that separation anxiety is the cause of your child sleep disorder if they quickly drift back to sleep once you have calmed their fears.

Some parents experience separation anxiety from their children and find themselves looking in on them frequently throughout the night.

Other Causes for Sleep Deprivation in Children

There are even other causes for sleep deprivation in children. Some of these causes are simple and easy to remedy. On the other hand, there are some causes, which are more serious and would require a visit to their doctor.

Some children wake up during the night because they are wearing a pair of uncomfortable pajamas and/or are wearing nightwear that has scratchy tags that are irritating their skin.

Others wake up because of itching from pinworms and discomfort wakes up some children, whether it be in the form of the child having wet their bed, being too cold, too hot, thirsty, hungry or they have to use the toilet.

Yet other reasons include: