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Most parents picture a crying baby when they think about kids.
Many older kids and teens have sleeping problems too, including
trouble going to sleep and waking up frequently in the middle of
the night.
Unfortunately, not getting a good night's sleep can affect
child's mood and behavior during the day, leading to school and
discipline problems.
Like adults, children with insomnia either have trouble going to
sleep, staying asleep, or are simply not well rested after a
normal amount of time sleeping. 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.
They go to bed too late. This is often because parents have
unrealistic expectations for how much sleep their children need
or because their children are over-scheduled and are
participating in too many activities or have too much homework.
Or child may simply be up late playing video games or watching
TV.
Children 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 parents set a realistic bedtime and child is still not
getting a good night's sleep, than common causes of insomnia can
include:
Poor sleep habits
Caffeine
Stress
Obstructive sleep apnea (snoring)
Side effects of medications, including stimulants used to
treat adhd, antidepressants, corticosteroids, and
anticonvulsants
Asthma (coughing)
Eczema (itching)
Depression
Anxiety
Restless legs syndrome
Neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism, mental
retardation, and asperger's syndrome
Treatment
Unless there is another or co-morbid diagnosis as a cause of
child's insomnia, a prescription is usually not the answer.
Non-drug treatments for primary insomnia, or childhood insomnia
that is not caused by another medical condition, can include:
Restricting time spent in bed to simply sleeping, which means
no reading, doing homework, or watching TV in bed
Having a very consistent schedule of when your child goes to
bed and wakes up, including weekends and holidays
Stopping stimulating activities 30 to 60 minutes before
bedtime, such as playing video games, watching TV or talking on
the phone
Getting out of bed and doing something quiet, such as reading,
if your child doesn't fall asleep within 10 to 20 minutes
Avoiding caffeine
Exercising regularly
Homoeopathic Treatment
Cina : This is a children's remedy corresponding to many
conditions that may be referred to intestinal irritation, such
as worms and accompanying complaints. An irritability of temper,
variable appetite, grinding of teeth, and even convulsions, with
screams and violent jerkings of the hands and feet, are all
within its range of action. The Cina patient is hungry, cross,
ugly, and wants to be rocked. Pain in shocks.
Ill-humor. Child very cross; does not want to be touched, or
crossed, or carried. Desires many things, but rejects everything
offered. Choreic movements of face and hands.Child gets on hands
and knees in sleep; on abdomen.
Night terrors of children; cries out, screams, wakes frightened.
Troubles while yawning. Screams and talks in sleep. Grits teeth.
Chamomilla : sensitive, irritable, thirsty, hot, and
numb. Oversensitiveness from abuse of coffee and narcotics.
Night-sweats. Whining restlessness. Child wants many things
which he refuses again. Piteous moaning because he cannot have
what he wants. Child can only be quieted when carried about and
petted constantly. Impatient, intolerant of being spoken to or
interrupted; extremely sensitive to every pain; always
complaining. Complaints from anger and vexation. Mental calmness
contraindicates Chamom.
Drowsiness with moaning, weeping and wailing during sleep;
anxious, frightened dreams, with half-open eyes. Worse, by heat,
anger, open air, night. Better, from being carried.
Calc carb: -Ideas crowding in mind prevent sleep. Horrid
visions when opening eyes. Starts at every noise; fears that
will go crazy. Drowsy in early part of evening. Frequent waking
at night. Same disagreeable idea always arouses from light
slumber. Night terrors. Dreams of the dead.
Lyco: -Drowsy during day. Starting in sleep. Dreams of
accidents. afraid to be alone. Little things annoy, Extremely
sensitive. Loss of self-confidence. Hurried when eating.
Apprehensive. Weak memory, confused thoughts; spells or writes
wrong words and syllables. Cannot read what he writes. Sadness
in morning on awaking. worse from about 4 to 8 p.m.
Psorinum : Sleepless from intolerable itching. Easily
startled.
Tatrentula : Restless feet. -Drowsiness. Sleep restless.
Sleep prevented by harsh cough.
Ars alb : Disturbed, anxious, restless. Must have head
raised by pillows. Suffocative fits during sleep. Sleeps with
hands over head. Dreams are full of care and fear. Drowsy.
Sulphur : Very forgetful. Difficult thinking. Busy all
the time. Irritable. Affections vitiated; very selfish, no
regard for others. Talks, jerks, and twitches during sleep.
Vivid dreams. Wakes up singing. Wakes frequently, and becomes
wide awake suddenly. Catnaps; slightest noise awakens. Cannot
sleep between 2 an 5 a.m.
Coffea : Gaiety, easy comprehension, irritability,
excited; senses acute. Impressionable, especially to pleasurable
impressions. Full of ideas, quick to act. Tossing about in
anguishWakeful; on a constant move. Sleeps till 3 a.m., after
which only dozing. Wakes with a start, sleep disturbed by
dreams. Sleepless, on account mental activity; flow of ideas,
with nervous excitability.
Silicea : Nervous and excitable. Sensitive to all
impressions. Brain-fag. Obstinate, headstrong children.
Abstracted. Fixed ideas; thinks only of pins, fears them,
searches and counts them. Night-walking; gets up while asleep.
Sleeplessness, with great orgasm of blood and heat in head.
Frequent starts in sleep. Anxious dreams. Excessive gaping.
Baryta carb: Children dwarfish, do not grow and develop.
Loss of memory, mental weakness. Irresolute. Lost confidence in
himself. Talking in sleep; awakens frequently; feels too hot.
Twitching during sleep.
Kali phos : Prostration. Weak and tired. Anxiety, nervous
dread, lethargy. Indisposition to meet people. Extreme lassitude
and depression. Very nervous, starts easily, irritable.
Brain-fag; hysteria; night terrors. Somnambulance. Loss of
memory. Slightest labor seems a heavy task. Great despondency
about business. Shyness; disinclined to converse.
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