The child's body needs more sleep than food. Good sleep indicates the health of the child.

15% of children have some disturbances in night rest. Let's look at why some children have sleep problems. In what cases should you consult a doctor because of your child’s poor sleep? Let's listen to the advice of neurologists and baby food nutritionists.

Many children experience sleep disorders to varying degrees.

Why do children need to sleep?

Sleep is a physiological state in which recovery processes occur in the body. At night, children produce growth hormone. It’s not for nothing that they say that children grow in their sleep. During sleep, the immune system is restored through the production of immunoglobulins and the activation of protective T-lymphocyte cells. While children sleep, the short-term information they accumulated during the day passes into long-term memory. In other words, at night the knowledge gained during the day is consolidated.

The duration of sleep in children aged 2–3 years is 12 hours, of which 1.5–3 hours are during the daytime rest. As they grow older, daytime rest decreases and by the age of 4, the need for it disappears in many children.

Types of difficulty falling asleep and awakening at night

The disorder is considered to be difficulty falling asleep or waking up frequently at night. There are more than 100 types of sleep disorders, which fall into 3 main types:

1. Insomnia – difficulty falling asleep and waking up at night.
2. Parasomnias – sleepwalking, night terrors, enuresis, sleep talking, bruxism, twitching.
3. Sleep apnea is short-term cessation of breathing.

Parasomnias are caused by immaturity of the nervous system and disappear by adolescence. Long-term sleep disturbance for more than 3 months requires observation by neurologists. If the problem persists, somnologists conduct a study using polysomnography.

Individual characteristics of children

Each child is different, so he may need less sleep than other children his age.

As children get older, they need less time to rest at night and more time to stay awake. The peculiarities of the physiology of children from 2 years of age are that their sleep and wakefulness patterns are already established, and babies can sleep all night. Due to individual characteristics, some children sleep less than their peers, but still feel fine. Such characteristics of children are not associated with any diseases. The fact that, in your opinion, your child is sleeping little for his age is a problem, may be the reason to consult a doctor.

Causes of difficulty falling asleep or waking up at night

Sleep disturbance in children 2 years old is often associated with improper diet and diet or caused by diseases.

The most common reasons:

• neurological causes;
• emotional overload during the day and before bedtime;
• poor nutrition;
• physiological characteristics;
• somatic diseases.

In children 2 years old, the most common cause of poor sleep or interruption of night rest is emotional overload, which can manifest itself in the form of night terrors.

What to do if you have disturbed sleep?

Most often, the cause of night fears is emotional overload before bedtime and improper sleep schedule. Sometimes the cause of fear is fear. Emotional overload can be caused by the late return of the father, who before bedtime arranges noisy emotional communication with the child. Excited children have difficulty falling asleep and often wake up and call for their mother. Such conditions occur several times a week. Night terrors go away by adolescence.

Noisy games in the evening should be canceled

If the baby wakes up at night from his own scream, take the baby in your arms, calm him down in a quiet voice and ask all household members who have come running to the scream to leave the children's room. If your child has frequent night terrors, you should consult a neurologist. Prolonged night terrors may be of epileptic origin.

When treating sleep disturbance in children 2 years old, it is very important to adhere to the following measures:

• maintain a daily routine;
• do not allow games on the computer or phone before a night's rest;
• It is recommended to put a 2-year-old baby to bed at 21:00 at the same time;
• ensure daytime sleep of 1.5–2 hours;
• Avoid watching TV before going to bed;
• an hour before falling asleep, do not allow noisy active games;
• It is useful to take a walk with your baby before bedtime or dinner;
• Before going to bed, ventilate the room well;
• The baby should not be too hot or cold during the night's rest.

Daytime rest is important for children 2 years old. A baby who does not sleep during the day will not sleep well at night. It is useful to perform a ritual of preparation for falling asleep - collect toys, read a fairy tale. At a younger age, if you have trouble falling asleep or waking up at night, you can give soothing herbal infusions of valerian and lemon balm. It is useful to conduct a course of treatment before going to bed with warm baths with an infusion of a herbal collection consisting of equal parts of thyme, valerian, motherwort, and lemon balm. For infusion, brew 2 tbsp. l. dry mixture with 1 glass of water and leave for a quarter of an hour in a water bath. The water temperature should not be higher than 37.0 °C.

Poor nutrition

The child’s diet should be balanced and fortified

Sleep problems in healthy children can occur due to poor nutrition. The daily diet should be sufficiently high in calories. The food eaten at dinner should be enough to prevent the baby from waking up at night from hunger. A large dinner before bed will cause stomach cramps. Chips and fast food can cause vomiting in children at any time of the day. The nutrition of children 2 years old should be balanced.

The diet of children from 1 to 3 years old should contain the following products daily:

• Animal protein is a building material necessary for growth and providing iron to the blood. With a lack of beef meat dishes, children develop iron deficiency anemia and the immune system weakens. Due to a lack of protein, children lag behind in development and their memory deteriorates.
• Fish is a source of vitamin D, without which a deficiency of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium occurs in a growing body. An imbalance of these minerals negatively affects the growth of bones and teeth of a growing organism. With a lack of minerals, children sleep poorly, sweat in their sleep, and develop dental caries. Deficiency of minerals and vitamins affects the intellectual development of children.
• Dairy products are a source of calcium and protein, which are needed for the formation of bones and teeth in a growing body.
• Fruits and vegetables provide the body with vitamins and minerals.

Children from 1 year to 3 years old need food after cooking. Vegetarianism for children from 1 to 3 years old is unacceptable. From a medical point of view, fasting is interpreted as an inhumane attitude towards children. The raw food diet method is also unacceptable for feeding children. Children as young as 2 years old cannot digest that much raw food. The gastrointestinal tract of children from 1 year to 3 years is not able to provide enzymes to digest raw fiber. The result of a raw food diet will be gastritis and colitis. Eating problems make it difficult to fall asleep and cause awakenings at night.

Snoring in children

The reason for frequent awakenings may be snoring, which occurs in some children after 1 year with enlarged adenoids and tonsils. With severe enlargement of the tonsils, the flow of air to the lungs is limited. The child wakes up from oxygen deficiency. In severe cases, the adenoids can be so enlarged that during sleep they completely block the air flow and cause a short-term cessation of breathing - apnea. Children often wake up and feel drowsy during the day. With such a serious sleep disorder, children need examination by ENT specialists and somnologists who examine sleep using polysomnography. In case of enlarged adenoids and tonsils, surgery eliminates snoring and restores nighttime rest.

As a result, we emphasize that the main sleep problems are emotional overload and disruption of the routine. Improper or insufficient nutrition also contributes to sleep disturbances in children aged 1 to 3 years. To get rid of the problems of night rest, you need, first of all, to establish the correct regime and regulate a balanced diet.

A restless baby affects the performance of all family members. At night, the body recovers, and sleep problems negatively affect the immune system.

If sleep disturbances occur repeatedly in children, this indicates pathology. We need to see a doctor. It is important to determine whether a sleep disorder is a whim or a disease.

Falling asleep at night and uninterrupted sleep are not determined genetically, but are established during life: in the womb there is no change of day and night.

Therefore, babies of the 1st year of life always wake up at night and sleep during the day.

The causes of sleep disorders are varied:

• diseases of internal organs;
• hereditary predisposition;
• emotional stress, stress (going to kindergarten, mother going to work);
• incorrect behavior pattern in relation to sleep and wakefulness;
• physical discomfort (teething, colic, wet bed, crumbs on the sheet, unsuitable room temperature);
• feeling of hunger;
• late dinner, weaning.

Sleep disturbances in children under one year of age can be caused by rickets, inguinal and umbilical hernia, diseases of the spine, stomach and intestines, and rheumatism.

20% of babies have difficulty falling asleep in the evening, wake up and cry at night.

Different types of disorders have different manifestations.

For treatment and prevention measures for nervous tics in adults, see.

Main manifestations of sleep disorders in children

An incorrect pattern of sleep and wakefulness is expressed in the fact that the baby repeatedly falls asleep during the day and wakes up at night.

In addition, the following deviations are common:

Fears. Sleep disturbances in children of this nature usually occur between the ages of 2-6 years, more often in whiny boys. The child sits up half asleep, screams and cries in bed; calmed down by the efforts of the parents.

During an attack, it is impossible to wake up the child; by the morning he cannot remember his behavior and retell his dreams.

These are manifestations of strong excitation of the nervous system. By the age of 10-12 years the disorder goes away.

Waking up in the middle of the night. Occurs in babies from 4 months to a year. There is nothing serious here and the reason lies in the incorrect behavior of the parents who rush to lull the child to sleep. The baby develops a conditioned reflex in which the parents’ attention acts as reinforcement. The body is “set” to awaken to receive food and parental care.

The cause can also be diseases of the heart, blood vessels, and respiratory organs.

Sleepwalking. While sleeping, a child (usually a boy 5-10 years old) behaves actively, walks and performs purposeful actions. His eyes are open, his movements are clumsy, but he does not stumble or bump into furniture; in the morning he doesn’t remember anything.

The disorder can occur in connection with epilepsy, enuresis, diseases of the central nervous system and the genitourinary system.

Talking in your sleep. Children, while in a state of sleep, utter words or sentences, albeit unclear; after waking up they don’t remember anything.

Nightmares are typical for any age, but more often such a sleep disorder can be noticed in a child 3-7 years old, as well as 10-12 years old. Man wakes up in the middle of the night and remembers what he dreamed - this is different from fears. If your nightmares last more than once a week, it's time to see a doctor.

Bruxism. A child (usually 12-13 years old) clenches his teeth, his breathing and heartbeat change. The reason for this behavior is not clear, but worms have nothing to do with it.

This may indicate an incorrect bite. Due to the abrasion of the enamel, the child needs to be shown to an orthodontist. Bruxism is a consequence of nerve dysfunction, when tension in the facial muscles does not go away even at night. This requires the help of a neurologist.

Trembling appear in babies under one year of age, born with hypoxia or developmental defects, and adolescents. Trembling indicates epilepsy ill health of the nervous system and mental sphere.

Urinary incontinence (enuresis) Children aged 6-12 years, with mental retardation or genetically predisposed are susceptible.

The reason is the immaturity of the nervous system (awakening reflexes are not developed), as well as urological diseases and stress.

In this case, a neurologist will help.

Stopping breathing occurs in everyone. The person breathes through his mouth, snores, his breathing is intermittent; Sleep disturbance in infants can be expressed in difficulty eating; older children have difficulty learning due to daytime sleepiness. The disease is associated with enlarged adenoids and tonsils, sometimes with diseases of the nerves and muscles, congenital pathologies, and excess weight.

A consultation with an ENT specialist is required here.

Sleep initiation disorder. Difficulty falling asleep in the evening among preschoolers is common due to difficulties in adapting to a team, increased excitability of the nervous system, and psychological discomfort.

Delayed sleep phase syndrome. Teenagers lead an active life at night, and in the morning it is difficult for them to wake up; they are lethargic all day. The problem has psychological roots associated with entering adulthood and increased school loads.

3% of children suffer from respiratory arrest, 20% suffer from bruxism.

Sleep disorders in children treatment

You should go to the pediatrician if you have a sleep disorder:

• accompanied by a serious change in mood;
• combined with enuresis and shortness of breath;
• lasts more than 3 weeks;
• occurs in children under 1 year of age.

Correction of fears, night awakenings, walking and talking in a dream is that the child must be woken up 10-15 minutes before the onset of the symptom (horrible dreams are seen 1-2 hours after falling asleep).

Then the awakened baby will fall asleep again and will no longer disturb his parents at “school time.”

During bruxism, mouthguards are worn to protect the jaw; if its cause is neurological, take sedatives. For enuresis, “wetness alarms” are used - alarms that go off as soon as the baby urinates. It is important to wake up your child so that he does not do this unconsciously, and always go to the toilet before bed.

For those suffering from sleep initiation disorder, falling asleep at a certain time will help. The baby will intuitively begin to prepare for sleep in advance. Delayed sleep phase syndrome is corrected by shifting nighttime rest to an earlier time.

Pediatricians often prescribe "Bayu-Bai" drops for active, excitable children over 5 years old, the bromine mixture "Citral", as well as the drugs "Notta", "Domirkind", and "Epam" drops for depressed teenagers.

You should not take medications for longer than the doctor prescribed, otherwise apathy will occur.

Prevention

Before going to the doctor you must:

• Keep a sleep diary. Over the course of a week, write down the time the child wakes up, the duration of the anxiety, the time he goes back to sleep, etc.
• Go to bed and wake up, eat at the same time. Walk in the air for at least 2 hours a day, do exercises and wet rubdowns in the morning.
• Limit emotional stress (even pleasant ones). Watching a large number of cartoons overloads the nervous system. You need to watch TV 2 hours before bedtime. You can’t play outdoor games with your child in the evening or force him to eat something. It is better to physically load the child in the first half of the day, and read a fairy tale at night. Do not give sweets before bedtime.
• Regularly ventilate the baby’s room and monitor physical parameters. Optimum temperature 22°C, humidity 70%. This can be achieved by placing a damp cloth on the battery.
• Take care of your bed linen. It should be clean, made of natural fabrics, the mattress should be semi-rigid.
• Provide a comfortable psychological climate. There must be a trusting relationship between family members. Parents need to find out whether their child feels comfortable at school and whether he has good relationships with teachers.

To correct sleep, you may need to prevent your child from sleeping during the day. A soft toy – a symbol of protection – will ensure a peaceful fall asleep.

When a child who falls asleep only in his arms wakes up in bed, he is capricious. You can stop this with the following procedure. Mom sits near the bed and minds her own business. The child, in a rage, throws all the toys around and moves the pillow. Mom comes up, puts everything back in place, then leaves.

Under no circumstances should you deny your child sleep when he asks, under the pretext of being busy with various things.

It is impossible not to react to the crying of a child: in adulthood this will develop into neurosis and complexes.

Sleep is favored by twilight, reading at night, planning for tomorrow, the monotonous noise of a washing machine, a TV from the next room.

Children's sleep is the key to a child's health and a fulfilling married life. Parents who do not limit irritating factors are to blame for sleep disturbances. If there are no visible causes of the disorder, you should see a doctor.

Video on the topic

I.V. Bagramyan, Moscow

The path of a person growing up is quite thorny. For a child, the first school of life is his family, which represents the whole world. In a family, a child learns to love, endure, rejoice, sympathize and many other important feelings. In the context of a family, an emotional and moral experience unique to it develops: beliefs and ideals, assessments and value orientations, attitudes towards people around them and activities. The priority in raising a child belongs to the family (M.I. Rosenova, 2011, 2015).

Let's declutter

Much has been written about how important it is to be able to let go and complete the old and outdated. Otherwise, they say, the new one will not come (the place is occupied), and there will be no energy. Why do we nod when reading such articles that motivate us to clean, but everything still remains in its place? We find thousands of reasons to put aside what we have put aside and throw it away. Or don’t start clearing out rubble and storage rooms at all. And we already habitually scold ourselves: “I’m completely cluttered, I need to pull myself together.”
Being able to easily and confidently throw away unnecessary things becomes a mandatory program for a “good housewife”. And often - a source of another neurosis for those who for some reason cannot do this. After all, the less we do “right” - and the better we can hear ourselves, the happier we live. And the more correct it is for us. So, let’s figure out whether it’s really necessary for you personally to declutter.

The art of communicating with parents

Parents often love to teach their children, even when they are old enough. They interfere in their personal lives, advise, condemn... It gets to the point that children do not want to see their parents because they are tired of their moral teachings.

What to do?

Accepting flaws. Children must understand that parents cannot be re-educated; they will not change, no matter how much you want them to. Once you accept their shortcomings, it will be easier for you to communicate with them. You will simply stop expecting a different relationship than you had before.

How to prevent cheating

When people start a family, no one, with rare exceptions, even thinks about starting relationships on the side. And yet, according to statistics, families most often break up precisely because of infidelity. Approximately half of men and women cheat on their partners within a legal relationship. In short, the number of faithful and unfaithful people is distributed 50 to 50.

Before we talk about how to protect a marriage from cheating, it is important to understand

3 18 155 0

In 97% of cases, women are faced with a situation where the child does not sleep well, often wakes up at night and cries.

Such a condition can not only negatively affect the well-being, but also the development of the child himself. We will find out in this article what are the reasons for poor sleep in a child under 1 year of age and what needs to be done to cope with the problem.

Long daytime nap

Children are not born with a specific daily routine. It is determined by the parents. Often, a child's day is divided into two categories: wakefulness and sleep. A child under 1 year old has 3 to 5 naps during the day. Moreover, their duration varies depending on age. For example, a baby under 3 months should sleep at least 2-2.5 hours each time. With age, this time does not decrease much, but the amount of daytime sleep decreases significantly.

The development of the child and his mental state depend on daytime sleep.

Studies have shown that children who are not accustomed to a sleep-wake routine are more restless and grow poorly.

This and an overabundance of rest. It often happens that parents create such conditions for the child when he sleeps too much. This may cause problems with night sleep.

During a night's rest, growth hormones, biologically active substances, are released that help calm the nervous system and relax all body systems. Therefore, the child should undoubtedly sleep at night.

In order to ensure normal sleep for your child, create the correct sleep-wake schedule.

0-6 weeks	Wake up: 7:00. Feeding: 7:15. Sleep: 7:45-9:20. Feeding:9:30. Sleep: 10:00-12:30. Feeding: 12:40. Sleep:13:00-14:30. Feeding: 14:40. Sleep: 15:00-17:00. Feeding: 17:10. Sleep: 17:30-18:00. Swimming: 19:00. Feeding: 19:20. Sleep (night): 19:40. Feeding 3-4 times at night.
3 months	Wake up: 7:00. Feeding: 7:15. Sleep: 7:45-9:20. Feeding: 9:30. Sleep: 11:00-12:30. Feeding: 12:40. Sleep: 13:00-14:30. Feeding: 14:40. Sleep: 15:00-17:00. Feeding: 17:10. Sleep: 17:30-18:00. Swimming: 19:00. Feeding: 19:20. Sleep (night): 19:40. Feeding 2-3 times at night.
4 months	Wake up: 7:00. Feeding: 7:15. Sleep: 9:00-11:00. Feeding: 11:10. Sleep: 13:00-15:00. Feeding: 15:10. Sleep: 17:00-18:00. Feeding: 18:10. Bathing. Feeding: 19:00. Sleep (night): 19:40. Feeding 1-2 times at night.
6 months	Wake up: 7:00. Feeding: 7:15. Breakfast (solid feeding). Sleep: 9:45-12:00. Feeding: 12:10. Lunch (solid feeding). Sleep: 14:40-16:40. Feeding: 16:50. Dinner (solid feeding). Bathing. Feeding: 19:20. Sleep (night): 19:40. Feeding 1-2 times at night.
9 months	Wake up: 7:00. Feeding. Breakfast (solid feeding). Sleep: 10:00-12:00. Feeding. Lunch (solid feeding). Sleep: 16:00-17:00. Feeding. Dinner (solid feeding). Bathing. Feeding: 19:20. Sleep (night): 19:40. Feeding 1 time at night.

Features of the baby's temperament

The duration of sleep may depend on the individual characteristics of the child. A “difficult” child generally sleeps less, tosses and turns often, and wakes up.

But do not rush to attribute temperament as the cause of insomnia. There may be other reasons such as teething, excessive sleep or colic.

Unfavorable atmosphere in the house

If there is discord and frequent quarrels in the family, this affects not only adults, but also children.

Try to walk outdoors more often and limit conflicts at home. Perhaps the quarrels are related to overwork.

Practice babysitting services. Then you can relax together. It is advisable to get out somewhere rather than spend time in familiar surroundings.

Age characteristics

Poor sleep in a child may be due to age-related characteristics. Babies under 1 year of age have mostly shallow sleep; they often wake up and fall asleep on their own.

Be careful with co-sleeping so as not to accidentally touch the baby. Use plenty of cushions for your fencing.

Wrong daily routine

Among the common mistakes parents make when caring for a child is the lack of a routine in the first year of life. This can lead to numerous problems. One of the most common is overwork, which leads to sleep disorders and health problems.

Don't let your baby stay awake for too long. You may not notice the signs of overwork, but it is there. Talk to your doctor about the optimal time to stay awake.

Children under 6 months should not be awake for more than 2 hours at a time.

You should not skip daytime naps and greatly increase the time between feedings.

Colic in the stomach

Because of this, he often shudders, tosses and turns and cries. Colic in children under 1 year of age mainly appears due to the accumulation of gases in the intestines through dysbacteriosis and disorders of the enzymatic system.

If colic occurs, you should not self-medicate, so consult a doctor immediately. If the problem is identified immediately, treatment occurs quickly and effectively.

Teething

This causes great pain to the baby and naturally affects the quality of sleep.

Signs of teething:

• Frequently cries, chews on objects, or bites;
• Rash on the chin;
• Loose stools;
• Increased salivation;
• Wakes up frequently;
• Restless state of the baby;
• Frequent scratching of cheeks and ears.

Try to stick to a set daily routine. Please note that your baby will need additional feedings as teething stimulates motor skills and the desire to eat. Talk to your pediatrician about special products designed to soothe gums and provide local pain relief.

Presence of diseases

Respiratory infections that cause nasal congestion. This prevents restful sleep.

Frequent sleepiness is a symptom of the disease. An elevated temperature in a baby is unacceptable, since the natural mechanisms of heat exchange have not yet been formulated. If there are signs of illness, check the temperature by placing your palm on your forehead.

If you suspect the presence of a disease, do not self-medicate and consult a doctor.

Vitamin D deficiency

Excessive amounts or lack of vitamins can affect not only the child’s sleep, but also his general condition. Lack of vitamin D is a cause of poor sleep.

To determine if there is a problem, you need to take a urine test according to Sulkovich. Normally, children are given 1-2 drops of vitamin D.

Poor nutrition

The proper development of the digestive system and the absorption of nutrients depend on nutrition.

• In the first and second months of life, the baby should be fed exclusively on breast milk. Water, tea or other foods are prohibited.
• From the fourth month, complementary feeding is introduced (a few drops of juice per day will be useful), but breast milk remains in the diet.