Children’s Sleep Problems
By Maryluz Fuentes, M.D., M.S.P.H.

From childhood through the teen years, from adulthood through the late years, sleep disorders are quite frequent. This is a serious and often misunderstood disorder affecting many school age children. It is a problem that hinders their development and affects their school performance.

Many childhood sleep problems are related to irregular sleep habits or other misunderstood problems. Parents must develop consistent bedtime routines in order to lessen some of the most common sleep problems. A warm bath and a good bedtime story, preferably at the same time every night, are always good habits to develop.

Persistent sleep problems may be symptoms of emotional difficulties due to anxiety caused by going to bed and falling sleep. “Separation anxiety” is a developmental landmark common to young children. Falling asleep represents an unwelcome time of separation from their parents and some children will do all they can to prevent it from happening. Some children will wake up at night and seek comfort by going to sleep in their parent’s bedroom. Although most parents will just let them crawl into their beds, it is recommended that instead, they gently take the child back to his or her bed and help the child go back to sleep.

A more common sleep problem can be caused by nightmares, which can begin at different ages and affect girls more often than boys. Stressful things that happen during the day can turn dreams into nightmares.

Sleepwalking, sleep talking and sleep terrors constitute a different group of sleep disorders. Sleepwalking is a relatively rare type of sleep disorder. Children who sleepwalk may appear to be awake as they move around, but are actually asleep and in danger of hurting themselves. Sleepwalking is more common between the ages of six and 12. Sleep terrors are commonly mistaken for nightmares, but they are different. It is a partial arousal stage in which the child abruptly awakens screaming, confused and unable to communicate. Sleep terrors are more often experienced between the ages of four and 12. Sleep terrors and sleepwalking run in families and affects boys more often than girls.

Bedwetting is another disorder that interferes with children’s sleep. Bedwetting is a common problem especially if a parent was a bed wetter. Twice as many boys suffer from bedwetting as girls. Most bedwetting children are between ages five and 10, and 15 percent of cases clear up naturally as the body matures. Common treatments include behavioral modification, bedwetting alarms and medication.

Teeth grinding and clenching, or bruxism, is another sleep disorder common to children. It usually happens at night, during sleep. Three out of 20 children unconsciously grind their teeth. Because bruxism happens at night, most children and parents are unaware of it until a parent notices a disturbing sound or a dentist notices that their teeth are damaged.

Waking up crying, feeling sleepy during the day and waking up early may be signs of underlying diseases. During the adolescent years, sleep-wake reversal may occur and may cause problems with daily life activities. Sleep can also be disturbed by mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, and by substance abuse. Fortunately as children age, they get over the most common sleep problems as well as the more serious disorders. Parents with ongoing concerns should contact their child’s physician for additional follow up.

Dr. Fuentes is a board certified family physician in private practice with Primary Care Medicine LCC of Montgomery. A native of Colombia, South America, she was awarded a master’s degree in public health from the University of Colorado and is a graduate of Baptist Health’s Montgomery Family Medicine Residency Program.