There are numerous factors that can affect your child's ability to fall asleep and stay asleep through the night. Get to know some of these factors in order to ensure that you are doing everything you can to take care of your child and keep them as healthy as possible. Chronic sleep issues can have a negative effect on your child's behavior, immune function, and even their school performance, so you should take swift action to deal with those issue.
Screen Time Before Bed
Children in this technological age are often exposed to more screens than any generation before. While screens were once limited to living room television sets and desktop computers, most young people now have access to televisions in their rooms as well as smartphones, e-readers, tablet devices, laptops, and various other illuminated screens.
New research shows that the use of light-emitting devices like e-readers right before bedtime can disrupt your child's sleep patterns because it affects the circadian rhythms that help your child sleep well. Such devices right before bed can prevent your child from being able to fall asleep, and make them feel less rested even after a full night's sleep.
Try to limit your child's use of devices that emit light in the few hours before they go to bed. If your child likes to read before bed, ensure that they have plenty of standard books for that purpose. The less they use those devices before bed, the more likely their sleep rhythms will remain undisturbed and they will get a good night's sleep.
Childhood Sleep Apnea
While many people think of sleep apnea as a largely adult problem, it is possible that your child also has sleep apnea which could affect your child's ability to successfully fall asleep and stay asleep. The form of sleep apnea most common in children is known as obstructive sleep apnea.
What this means is that something in their throat is blocking their breathing passages while they sleep, causing the flow of air in and out of their lungs to temporarily stop. This sudden stop often causes the affected person to wake repeatedly throughout the night.
In children, tonsils may be responsible for obstructive sleep apnea. To find out if this is what is causing your child to wake up nightly and have difficulty sleeping, you will need to take them to a doctor or pediatric hospital, like Pediatric Health Associates, for a sleep study. The doctors at the pediatric hospital will monitor your child as they sleep to see if and when they wake and whether or not their breathing is the culprit for the issue.
If your child, does have obstructive sleep apnea, a simple tonsillectomy will likely resolve the issue. By removing the obstruction in the throat, your child will be able to breathe easier throughout the night and therefore, will be more rested when they awake in the morning.
Now that you know a few of the reasons your child may be having trouble falling and staying asleep at night, you can take the necessary steps to help fix the situation. So, get started and your child will be sleeping soundly before you know it.
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