Childhood Insomnia
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Like adults, children with insomnia either have trouble going to sleep, staying asleep, or are simply not well rested after what should be a normal amount of time sleeping. .jpg)
In addition to being sleepy during the day, symptoms of Childhood insomnia can include:
- Irritability
- Mood swings
- Hyperactivity
- Depressed mood
- Aggressiveness
- A decreased attention span
- Memory problems
- Causes of Childhood Insomnia
One common reason that many children don't get enough sleep is that they go to bed too late.
This is often because parents have unrealistic expectations for how much sleep their kids need or because their kids are over-scheduled and is participating in too many activities or has too much homework.
Or your child may simply be up late talking on the phone, playing video games, or watching TV.
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Remember that child between the ages of 6 and 12 need about 10 to 11 hours of sleep each night, and teens need about 9 hours of sleep each night. |
If you set a realistic bedtime and your child is still not getting a good night's sleep, than common causes of insomnia can include:
- Poor sleep habits
- Caffeine
- Stress
- Side effects of medications, including stimulants used to treat ADHD, antidepressants, corticosteroids, and anticonvulsants
- Obstructive sleep apnea (snoring)
- Asthma(coughing)
- Depression
- Eczema (itching)
- Anxiety
5 STRANGE INSOMNIA TYPES PEOPLE RARELY KNOW ABOUT!
- In general, insomnia is classified into primary and secondary types.
- While primary insomnia is not associated with specific medical conditions, secondary insomnia occurs due to one or the other medical condition.
- However, a detailed understanding is required to have an in-depth analysis of the condition.
- This will help you deal with the exact form of insomnia you or someone around you suffers from.
- Apart from the most talked about insomnia types, there are some strange and weird forms that experts diagnose among people in different age groups.
The following discussion is about 5 such types of insomnia.
Adjustment Insomnia – Something You Adjust With
It is a short-term condition that results from any exciting experience that affects the patient’s mind positively or negatively. As the name suggests, it is one form of insomnia to which the patient make adjustments with. Surprisingly, the adaptation to the condition actually works as the cure to this type of sleeping disorder. As soon as the patient makes adjustment with the condition, its signs and symptoms start vanishing. In some cases, the condition disappears if the source of excitement ends up.
Behavioral Insomnia – No Compromise with Sleeping Time
Idiopathic Insomnia – Faulty Sleeping System
One of the strangest forms of insomnia is the idiopathic insomnia. It is a strange type because no known causes of insomnia lead to this condition. This means that nothing among medical conditions, mental disorders or sleeping disorders can be held responsible for this condition. It may occur due to inactive sleeping system of the body. This form of insomnia begins during the period of infancy continue till the adult age. Unfortunately, the exact reasons for the condition remain undiagnosed.
Paradoxical Insomnia – Wrong Sleeping Estimates
This is one of the rarest forms of insomnia. It can also be said that it is appearing on the scene lately. The patients suffering from this condition may spend the whole night lying on the bed, pretending as asleep to others. It is interesting to note that these people wrongly estimate the time they need to actually fall asleep. At the same time, they also end up having wrong estimation of total sleeping hours. What makes this condition even stranger is the fact that the patient has less chances of experiencing fatigue during day hours.
Psycho physiological Insomnia – Worrying about Falling Asleep
This is one of the rarest forms of insomnia. It can also be said that it is appearing on the scene lately. The patients suffering from this condition may spend the whole night lying on the bed, pretending as asleep to others. It is interesting to note that these people wrongly estimate the time they need to actually fall asleep. At the same time, they also end up having wrong estimation of total sleeping hours. What makes this condition even stranger is the fact that the patient has less chances of experiencing fatigue during day hours.
Psycho physiological Insomnia – Worrying about Falling Asleep
You can consult a medical expert to learn more about these strange insomnia conditions. Remember that each of these conditions may require a different route of treatment to be followed.
Do you struggle for hours to get to sleep, no matter how tired you are?
Do you struggle for hours to get to sleep, no matter how tired you are?
- Or do you wake up in the middle of the night and lie awake for hours, anxiously watching the clock?
- If so, you’re in good company.
- Insomnia is a very common sleep problem.
- It’s frustrating to toss and turn during the night, only to wake up bleary-eyed at the sound of the alarm and drag through the day exhausted.
- Insomnia takes a toll on your energy, mood, and ability to function during the day.
- Chronic insomnia can even contribute to health problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
- But you don’t have to put up with insomnia.
- Simple changes to your lifestyle and daily habits can put a stop to sleepless nights.
Common Sleep Issues
- Night time waking, multiple times or at the same time
- Bed time struggles, taking 30 minutes or longer to get the child to bed
- Middle of the night waking for 1-2 hours each night and no amount of ignoring solves the problem
- Early morning waking where the child is really ready to start the day at hour around 430am or 5am or such early time
- A problem with napping, either the child won’t naps and needs or needs to be held to sleep and takes very short naps
- Transitioning from cot to big bed and won't stay in the bed
- Needs a lot of assistance to fall asleep at night such as rocking, bouncing, patting or feeding.
Can’t sleep? Understanding insomnia and its symptoms
- Insomnia is the inability to get the amount of sleep you need to wake up feeling rested and refreshed.
- Because different people need different amounts of sleep, insomnia is defined by the quality of your sleep and how you feel after sleeping—not the number of hours you sleep or how quickly you doze off.
- Even if you’re spending eight hours a night in bed, if you feel drowsy and fatigued during the day, you may be experiencing insomnia.
- Although insomnia is the most common sleep complaint, it is not a single sleep disorder.
- It’s more accurate to think of insomnia as a symptom of another problem.
- The problem causing the insomnia differs from person to person.
- It could be something as simple as drinking too much caffeine during the day or a more complex issue like an underlying medical condition or feeling overloaded with responsibilities.
- The good news is that most cases of insomnia can be cured with changes you can make on your own—without relying on sleep specialists or turning to prescription or over-the-counter sleeping pills.
In order to properly treat and cure your insomnia, you need to become a sleep detective. Emotional issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression cause half of all insomnia cases. But your daytime habits, sleep routine, and physical health may also play a role. Try to identify all possible causes of your insomnia. Once you figure out the root cause, you can tailor treatment accordingly.
§ Are you under a lot of stress?
§ Are you depressed? Do you feel emotionally flat or hopeless?
§ Do you struggle with chronic feelings of anxiety or worry?
§ Have you recently gone through a traumatic experience?
§ Are you taking any medications that might be affecting your sleep?
§ Do you have any health problems that may be interfering with sleep?
§ Is your sleep environment quiet and comfortable?
§ Are you spending enough time in sunlight during the day and in darkness at night?
§ Do you try to go to bed and get up around the same time every day?
Common mental and physical causes of insomnia:
Sometimes, insomnia only lasts a few days and goes away on its own, especially when the insomnia is tied to an obvious temporary cause, such as stress over an upcoming presentation, a painful breakup, or jet lag. Other times, insomnia is stubbornly persistent. Chronic insomnia is usually tied to an underlying mental or physical issue.
§ Psychological problems that can cause insomnia: depression, anxiety, chronic stress, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder.
§ Medications that can cause insomnia: antidepressants; cold and flu medications that contain alcohol; pain relievers that contain caffeine (Midol, Excedrin); diuretics, corticosteroids, thyroid hormone, high blood pressure medications.
§ Medical problems that can cause insomnia: asthma, allergies, Parkinson’s disease, hyperthyroidism, acid reflux, kidney disease, cancer, or chronic pain.
§ Sleep disorders that can cause insomnia: sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome.
Insomnia cures and treatments:
Changing habits that disrupt sleep
While treating underlying physical and mental issues is a good first step, it may not be enough to cure your insomnia. You also need to look at your daily habits. Some of the things you’re doing to cope with insomnia may actually be making the problem worse.
For example, maybe you’re using sleeping pills or alcohol to fall asleep, which disrupts sleep even more over the long-term. Or maybe you drink excessive amounts of coffee during the day, making it harder to fall asleep later. Oftentimes, changing the habits that are reinforcing sleeplessness is enough to overcome the insomnia altogether. It may take a few days for your body to get used to the change, but once you do, you will sleep better.
Using a sleep diary to identify insomnia-inducing habits
Habits that make insomnia worse:
§ drinking a lot of caffeine
§ drinking or smoking before bed
§ taking naps during the day
§ an irregular sleep schedule
Some habits are so ingrained that you may overlook them as a possible contributor to your insomnia. Maybe your daily Starbucks habit affects your sleep more than you realize. Or maybe you’ve never made the connection between your late-night TV viewing and Internet surfing and your sleep difficulties. Keeping a sleep diary is a helpful way to pinpoint habits and behaviors contributing to your insomnia.
All you have to do is jot down daily details about your daytime habits, sleep routine, and insomnia symptoms. For example, you can keep track of when you go to sleep and when you wake up, where you fall asleep, what you eat and drink, and any stressful events that occur during the day.
Adopting new habits to help you sleep
§ Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, and cool. Noise, light, and heat can interfere with sleep. Try using a sound machine or earplugs to mask outside noise, an open window or fan to keep the room cool, and blackout curtains or an eye mask to block out light.
§ Stick to a regular sleep schedule. Support your biological clock by going to bed and getting up at the same time every day, including weekends. Get up at your usual time in the morning even if you’re tired. This will help you get back in a regular sleep rhythm.
§ Avoid naps. Napping during the day can make it more difficult to sleep at night. If you feel like you have to take a nap, limit it to 30 minutes before 3 p.m.
§ Avoid stimulating activity and stressful situations before bedtime. This includes vigorous exercise; big discussions or arguments; and TV, computer, or video game use.
§ Limit caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine. Stop drinking caffeinated beverages at least 8 hours before bed. Avoid drinking in the evening. While alcohol can make you feel sleepy, it interferes with the quality of your sleep. Quit smoking or avoid it at night, as nicotine is a stimulant.
Preparing your brain for sleep
Your brain produces the hormone melatonin to help regulate your sleep-wake cycle. As melatonin is controlled by light exposure, not enough natural light during the day can make your brain feel sleepy, while too much artificial light at night can suppress production of melatonin and make it harder to sleep. To help naturally regulate your sleep-wake cycle and prepare your brain for sleep:
§ Increase light exposure during the day. Take breaks outside in sunlight, remove sunglasses when it’s safe to do so, open blinds and curtains during the day.
§ Limit artificial light at night. To boost melatonin production, use low-wattage bulbs, cover windows and electrical displays in your bedroom, avoid bright light and turn off television and computer screens at least one hour before bed. If you can’t make your bedroom dark enough, try using an eye mask.
The more trouble you have with sleep, the more it starts to invade your thoughts. You may dread going to sleep because you just know that you’re going to toss and turn for hours or be up at 2 a.m. again. Or maybe you’re worried because you have a big day tomorrow, and if you don’t get a solid 8 hours, you’re sure you’ll blow it. But agonizing and expecting sleep difficulties only makes insomnia worse. Worrying about getting to sleep or how tired you’re going to be floods your body with adrenaline, and before you know it, you’re wide-awake.
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