Insomnia in Children

As many parents know only too well, insomnia in children is quite a common condition.  Children often have trouble falling asleep and the age of the child doesn’t seem to be specific.  There are a number of factors contributing to the occurrence of insomnia in children as are there treatments to the problem.

Security is probably one of the major factors to be considered when a child experiences difficulty falling asleep. A sudden change creating a problem in their life, that they may not be able to understand or cope with, can certainly lead to insomnia in young children.

Coping with Change

Most children are extremely averse to change.  Changes such as relocating to a new home can cause them to feel insecure resulting in insomnia.  An upheaval in their lives such as divorce or the death of a family member can bring on insomnia in children.

It is quite possible that parents are not even aware that these changes have led to the development of insomnia in children.

Routines

Children respond better to routines and when a routine is disrupted it can result in insomnia.  Bedtime routine is very important to children, the need to go to bed at fixed times and they also need to rise at times that they have become accustomed to. This helps establish a routine for them in which they feel secure knowing when to sleep and what time to get up.  Sleeping in their own bed and with their own familiar surroundings, their pillow and blanket are other things that children need to feel secure.

Common Insomnia in Children

There are two types of insomnia in children, one being acute and which may be thought of as a short term problem.  The other condition is chronic and can continue for what seems to be forever.

Acute insomnia in children may be caused by illness, stress and even medications. This can be remedied by making the child as comfortable as possible and these short term ailments will generally blow over in a few days, which mean that you won’t have to give the child medication for too long.

Chronic insomnia in children may result in a child being unable to sleep for maybe a week or as long as a month at a time, some even remain awake a number of times during a week. This could be caused because of anxiety, depression and even due to pain or some discomfort.  Chronic insomnia should be treated by a medical professional.  Seeking medical advice should help you find the proper medication and along with plenty of rest, the child may soon get over his or her insomnia condition.

Insomnia in children is common therefore parents are not alone in their battle to help their children overcome the problem. Because such a condition is not permanent, it can usually be dealt with easily and should hopefully not take long to get the child to return to a regular sleeping pattern once again.