|  | Family Health | Childrens Health

What Causes a Lack of Sleep in Children?

To enable your child to be productive during his waking hours, you have to make sure he gets sufficient sleep. Children that are sleep deprived can get a weak immune system and experience difficulty concentrating, irritability and fatigue. According to the National Sleep Foundation website, children ages 0 to 2 months, need between 12 and 18 hours of sleep a day. Toddlers ages 1 to 3 need 12 to 14 hours of sleep daily and school-aged children should get approximately 10 to 11 hours of sleep every night.

  1. Medical Issues

    • Medical issue can cause a lack of sleep in children. Issues can include teething, gas, urinary tract infections, ear aches, sleep apnea and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Children with sleep apnea can snore and experience pauses in breathing or breathing difficulties while sleeping. They don't get adequate sleep. According to the Dr Greene website, children with sleep apnea are commonly between the ages of 2 and 5 years old and are often wrongly diagnosed with ADHD because both conditions have similar symptoms and cause kids to wake up frequently during the night.

    Parasomnias

    • Parasomnias is the name given to a group of sleep disorders including sleep talking, sleepwalking and night terrors. These disorders disrupt and effect the quality of sleep in children. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, night terrors cause kids to scream uncontrollably and are most common in children ages 4 to 12. Sleepwalking, where the child appears to be awake but is actually still asleep, is most common in children ages 6 to 12. If these conditions are persistent and interfere with your child's behavior during the day, professional help may be needed.

    Overscheduling Of Activities

    • Many kids are just too busy to get a good night's sleep. Aside from school, they have after-school activities, homework, swimming lessons, soccer practice or ballet classes scheduled. Kids sometimes have to wake up early in the morning to get in extra practice for sports or hobbies they have expressed an interest in. They go to sleep late and have to get up early in the morning to go to school. The lack of sleep each night accumulates and can add up and result in less productivity during the day.

    Inappropriate Sleep Environment

    • The environment your child sleeps in can cause him to get insufficient sleep. If you place a television or computer in your child's room or allow him to have his own cell phone, you should be aware that these can influence how much sleep he gets. Instead of sleeping, your child may be playing video games or talking on his cell phone. When it comes to the sleeping environment of babies, co-sleeping may be a better option. According to the University of Michigan, babies that sleep with their parents experience less sleeping problems. Those sleeping in their own crib may lack sleep due to separation anxiety.

Childrens Health - Related Articles