Is Your Child Causing Your Family to Lose Sleep at Night?

Some things just go together like peanut butter and jelly or children and sleep. Babies tend to sleep through most of the day and night. Waking every few hours for a fresh diaper and a quick bottle. When a child isn’t getting enough sleep everyone in the house tends to suffer. 

Suddenly, one sleepless child is keeping everyone else up at night. Now, no one in your house is getting quality sleep. This may be when it’s time to see a pediatric sleep specialist in Houston. But how do you diagnose a sleep disorder in a child who’s still learning how to talk?

Common Signs of a Sleep Disorder

Up until your child hits elementary school, usually around 6 years of age, their sleep patterns are a little out of whack. In other words, younger kids have constantly changing sleep patterns. They go from sleeping through most of the day and night to taking more structured afternoon naps. 

Evening bedtimes can also vary no matter how hard parents try to stick with a routine. This can make it almost impossible for parents to know if their child has a sleep disorder or is just going through a growing phase.

Parents can pay attention to some common signs that often indicate their child has a sleep disorder.

• Loud snoring or struggling to breathe
• Trouble falling asleep
• Night awakenings
• Shifts in behavior, mood, or school performance
• Daytime sleepiness or hyperactivity

Sleep disturbances from early childhood reappear (sleepwalking, sleep talking, night terrors, nightmares, confusion, and/or bedwetting)

Don’t start panicking if your child displays one or most of these symptoms. Contact your pediatrician and go from there. Your child may have something as simple as a cold or allergy that affects their breathing at night. Your pediatrician can address your concerns and probably provide a referral to a pediatric sleep specialist.

Diagnosing Childhood Sleep Disorders

Sometimes a pediatric sleep specialist can make a diagnosis simply by asking the parents a few questions. 

Older children can also describe their symptoms and answer questions about their sleeping habits. Little ones and infants can’t communicate so how does a sleep specialist diagnose their condition? The common answer is a sleep study and it’s also commonly used on adults and older kids.

Where the sleep study is conducted depends on a couple of factors. The child’s age and the sleep specialist are the two primary factors. Older patients typically perform the sleep study at home. Younger patients may be brought to a special sleep lab. Yep, there are labs dedicated to monitoring a person’s sleep.

Before you start panicking at the thought of your little one sleeping in a lab, parents are also welcome. So, take a deep breath. Your baby isn’t sleeping in a strange place by themselves. Your child will be hooked up to monitoring equipment, and it can be a little scary. 

Most kids aren’t used to being connected to machines. To help your child feel a little more at ease, it’s a good idea to bring some things from home. This can include a favorite blanket or stuffed toy. You’re also probably wondering what the machines are monitoring. It typically includes things like:

• Brain waves for seizures, brain activity
• Heart rate
• Oxygen levels and breathing
• Arm and leg movements

The results from the test often determine if your child needs to see a sleep specialist and help the expert form a diagnosis.

Types of Common Pediatric Sleep Disorders

The same types of sleep disorders can affect kids and adults. However, some are more common in children than others.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Does your child take snoring to a whole new level? You know the snores sound too loud for your child’s little body? Even more worrying, does your child have irregular breathing while sleeping? If you answer yes to one of both of these questions, it can be a sign of sleep apnea.

Enlarged tonsils or adenoids are a common cause of sleep apnea in children. The enlarged glands are partially blocking the child’s airflow resulting in snoring and trouble breathing. Surgery usually corrects both problems.

Another common cause of pediatric sleep apnea is obesity. You never want to tell a child they are overweight. There’s no good reason to start body-shaming your child. However, getting your child on a healthy eating plan and encouraging plenty of exercise can help resolve any weight issues. In turn, their sleep apnea symptoms should also improve.

Sometimes, a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine may be necessary to treat sleep apnea. The device works to keep airways open reducing snoring and improving breathing. Most kids using a CPAP device only need it temporarily. Once treatment is finished, they usually don’t need to use a CPAP machine.

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy isn’t all that common in children but it does occur. Narcolepsy is described as suddenly falling asleep usually in the middle of an activity. Even getting a great night’s sleep isn’t enough to prevent narcolepsy symptoms from appearing. 

The condition can be dangerous so it’s best to have it diagnosed and start treatment as soon as possible. Usually, a sleep study is needed to accurately diagnose narcolepsy in kids and adults.

Parasomnia

You may think it’s cute when your child is acting out their dreams in their sleep. At least until your little one starts wandering around the house in their sleep. Now it’s dangerous and making it almost impossible for others in the house to sleep.

When your child starts sleepwalking and acting out their dreams, they may have a sleep disorder known as parasomnia. Sometimes, the behavior goes away as your child gets older. However, parasomnia can also be a genetic condition so it’s best to see a sleep specialist.

Is Your Child Getting Enough Quality Sleep?

Sleep disorders and children can be disruptive. When a child isn’t getting quality sleep it can affect everyone else in the house. If you believe your child has a sleep disorder, talk to your pediatrician. 

They may recommend participating in a sleep study and making an appointment with a pediatric sleep specialist. 

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