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Remedies for Children With Sleep Problems

There's not shortage of sleeping problems a child could be suffering. According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, common sleeping problems include difficulty falling asleep, frequently waking up crying crying or with nightmares, talking during sleep, bedwetting and being tired after sleeping. Here are a few remedies that could solve your child's sleeping woes.

  1. Environment

    • Change your child's environment. According to WebMD, adjust the bedroom temperature to a setting that's comfortable for your child. If the room is too hot or too cold, he will concentrate on the temperature and be unable to relax and fall asleep. Another possible remedy: make his room darker. The amount of light at bedtime needs to reflect your child's preferences. The third part of his bedroom environment you need to be aware of is sound. Some children may like a totally quiet room and other children may need background noise to sleep through the night.

    Activities

    • Change a child's activities in the hours leading up to bedtime. Too much physical activity can excite your child and make it hard for her to fall asleep. Conversely, too little physical movement during the day leaves a child with too much energy. Once you find the proper balance of physical exercise for your child, do any physical exercise early enough in the day so she is ready to sleep. A regular schedule with preplanned activities and a set bedtime lets the child fall asleep and stay asleep.

    Melatonin

    • The brain secretes melatonin, a hormone that regulates the body's sleep patterns. The amount of melatonin released by the brain increases at night and decreases during the day. It is used to treat individuals with sleep disorders in an attempt to reset their internal clock. Melatonin can be used as a remedy for children who have difficulty falling asleep, but it must be used carefully. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, a physician should be consulted before giving a child melatonin and the dosage given should be less than 0.3 milligrams per day.

    Surgery

    • Sleep apnea, a problem associated with adult sleep, can also affect children. According to MayoClinic.com, sleep apnea involves periodic interruptions in breathing while sleeping. These interruptions awaken the child enough to breathe and then return to sleep. A child with sleep apnea does not sleep well, which leads to daytime sleepiness, irritability and hyperactivity. According to Dr. Rafael Pelayo, sleep apnea is a cause of bedwetting in children because sleep interruptions cause the body to produce more urine. The remedy for childhood sleep apnea is surgery to remove the tonsils and adenoids that can restrict air flow. If this type of surgery does not solve the problem, further surgery may be necessary to correct defects in the mouth and throat causing the sleep apnea.

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