Poor night sleep in a child under one year old, reasons, what does Komarovsky advise? The child sleeps restlessly at night. Reasons, advice What does a child’s restless sleep indicate?

A child's restless sleep is a frequent cause for concern for parents. The baby fidgets all night, falls asleep for a short time, but his sleep is weak, restless, and any rustle can disturb it. What's happening to the baby? Experienced parents with experience, as a rule, are well versed in the needs of their child, but even they sometimes have questions related to the baby’s restless sleep.

Causes

There may be several reasons. Both physical and psychological.

• The child sleeps restlessly at night if he starts to get sick. The disease has not yet manifested itself on a physical level, and outwardly the baby is quite healthy. But he already feels unwell and begins to worry in advance. If the baby is already 5 months old or more, then teething may be the reason for troubled sleep. In any case, it makes sense to show the little one to the pediatrician so as not to miss the onset of the disease.
• Poor sleep can be caused by increased intracranial pressure. Only a doctor can detect this problem and prescribe treatment. Restless sleep in a small child can also be a consequence of serious illnesses - encephalopathy, rickets or a brain tumor. Otitis media, dysbiosis, and various infectious diseases prevent you from sleeping normally. Therefore, the search for the cause of disturbing sleep should begin with a visit to the doctor to rule out the disease.

• In newborns up to 3-5 months, a common cause of restless baby sleep is intestinal colic. The intestinal microflora of the toddler is not yet fully formed, and his body is still just adapting to independent life. These processes are accompanied by increased production of gases. The baby's tummy swells, especially severely in the evening and at night. Having barely dozed off, the baby wakes up, screams shrilly, turns purple, and presses her legs to her tummy. You can relieve his discomfort with the help of various drops and syrups based on simethicone, dill water, and a gas outlet tube.
• Your baby may have difficulty sleeping if he is cold or hot. Many young parents, having listened to enough “good” advice, strive not to spoil the baby, so they once again try not to take him in their arms, and many mothers and fathers generally have a negative attitude towards sleeping in the same bed with the child. But in vain. Because the baby may be worried because he feels “cut off” from his mother. And he needs physical contact with her. In addition, at night the body temperature drops somewhat, and the baby needs to be warmed by his mother's hands. The other extreme is that the baby is hot or stuffy. Mothers are afraid of catching a cold in their child, so they tightly close the window in the room and wrap the baby up.

The room where the baby sleeps must be ventilated. The temperature in it should ideally be about 19-20 degrees with an air humidity of 50-70%. These are the most comfortable conditions for a small person.

• Another reason for restless sleep is hunger. Perhaps the baby did not eat enough at the previous feeding, and in this situation there is no need to give up night feedings. A child may need night feeding until he is 6 months old. After this age, according to pediatricians, the child has no physiological need to eat in the middle of the night.

Breastfed babies may experience hunger if their mother's milk is not nutritious enough. Review your diet. And also contact your pediatrician with a request to conduct a control feeding by weighing the child before and after meals to determine how much the toddler eats. If he doesn't have enough of your milk, the doctor may allow "complementary feeding."

• “Artificial babies” often swallow a lot of air when feeding, this creates a false feeling of fullness. Hunger returns again when the little one relaxes and tries to fall asleep. Therefore, babies fed with adapted formulas must be allowed to burp air after eating. Minor regurgitation is normal. The nipple on the bottle should please the baby and be comfortable. Some babies prefer latex nipples, others prefer silicone nipples. Choose for your baby the option that he will perceive best.

The cause of restless sleep may also lie in a violation of the daily routine. For example, the baby slept well during the day, or even confused day and night. The baby's regimen should be adjusted in accordance with his age needs.

• A baby aged 1 to 3 months needs 17-20 hours of sleep per day.
• Sleep requirements for children aged 6 months are 14 hours a day.
• At 1 year of age, a child should sleep at least 13 hours a day.
• At 2 years old, the daily sleep requirement is 12.5 hours.
• At 4 years old, the baby should sleep at least 11 hours a day.
• At 6 years old, the need for sleep is 9 hours.
• At 12 years old, a teenager needs 8.5 hours of sleep per day.

Tips from a popular pediatrician on improving the quality of sleep for babies in the next video.

Lack of vitamins also leads to disturbances in night sleep in children. Children are also very sensitive to weather conditions - they react to changes in atmospheric pressure and precipitation, and often “anticipate” them.

Psychologists say that a baby’s restless sleep may be due to age-related characteristics. The fact is that the sleep structure of children at 2 months and at 2 years is different. From birth to 1 year of age, shallow sleep in babies predominates over the deep phase, which is why babies often wake up. Only some fall asleep easily again on their own, while others require parental help.

It happens that a calm baby begins to wake up and toss and turn restlessly at 7-9 months of age. At this age, the baby develops the first psychological problems that interfere with normal sleep - the fear of being away from his mother. If parents sleep in the same room with the baby, then the child will not experience a sense of defenselessness and such disturbing night awakenings will gradually disappear.

At 2-3 years of age, sleep can become anxious and restless due to the development of the baby’s imagination. He already knows how to fantasize; it is at this age that nightmares and fear of the dark appear. A cozy night light by your baby’s crib and a favorite soft toy that he can take to bed will help you cope with this.

Another “critical” age is 6-7 years. At this time, the child's sleep may be disturbed due to worries associated with starting school.

At any age, children are very sensitive to the psychological climate that reigns in your home. If they often quarrel, get nervous, or worry, this will definitely affect the quality of the child’s sleep, and not for the better.

Create a calm, peaceful home atmosphere for your baby

Restless sleep can also be an “echo” of the baby’s innate character traits and temperament. It is known that choleric children sleep worse than phlegmatic children, and sanguine children have a harder time waking up in the morning. Each child requires an individual approach, taking into account all his personal characteristics and general factors affecting the quality of sleep.

Consequences of sleep deficiency for children

If the problem of a child's restless night sleep is ignored, pretty soon the baby will begin to suffer from lack of sleep. A lack of sleep will affect all functions of his body. First of all, disorders occur in the nervous system. Then the hormonal levels will “fail.” The fact is that the growth hormone STH (somatotropin) is better produced in children during sleep. If a child does not get enough sleep, he lacks growth hormone, and, as a result, he grows and develops more slowly not only physically, but also intellectually.

Another “night” hormone, cortisol, helps the body cope with stress. If a child sleeps little, his cortisol level is low, which means the baby’s psyche becomes vulnerable.

Chronic lack of sleep reduces a child’s mental and intellectual abilities; such children have difficulty learning and have severe memory problems.

Be sure to regulate your baby's sleep to avoid problems with the child's future development.

How to improve your child's sleep?

If your child's restless night sleep is not the exception, but rather the rule, you need to contact your pediatrician. He will recommend a way to improve your baby's sleep, taking into account age-related characteristics.

If the cause is illness, treatment will be beneficial and the baby will begin to sleep normally.

If the child is healthy, then you can “even out” his sleep on your own.

• Bathing before going to bed and a light soothing massage help a lot. You can add a few drops of valerian or motherwort to the water in which the baby bathes.
• In the evening, it is better to avoid increased activity; try to arrange all noisy games and educational activities with your child during the daytime. An excited toddler, by definition, cannot sleep soundly.
• Don't forget that walks are important for your baby. Children who don't get enough walks are more likely than others to suffer from sleep disorders. If the weather and season permit, take short evening walks.
• The bedding in the baby's crib should be made only of natural fabrics, the mattress should be smooth and moderately soft (the best option is an orthopedic mattress), and the diaper should be proven, high-quality and reliable. Children under 2 years old do not need a pillow.

Special rituals help improve nighttime sleep. Every mother can come up with them, taking into account the needs of her child. In my family, it is mandatory to read one fairy tale after bathing before bed. Make your ritual mandatory. Whatever happens, it should be strictly followed. This will allow the baby to quickly understand what his parents want, and he will wait for events to occur in a certain order. This reduces stress levels and makes bedtime softer and smoother.

A restless baby affects the performance of all family members. At night, the body recovers, and sleep problems negatively affect the immune system.

If sleep disturbances occur repeatedly in children, this indicates pathology. We need to see a doctor. It is important to determine whether a sleep disorder is a whim or a disease.

Falling asleep at night and uninterrupted sleep are not determined genetically, but are established during life: in the womb there is no change of day and night.

Therefore, babies of the 1st year of life always wake up at night and sleep during the day.

The causes of sleep disorders are varied:

• diseases of internal organs;
• hereditary predisposition;
• emotional stress, stress (going to kindergarten, mother going to work);
• incorrect behavior pattern in relation to sleep and wakefulness;
• physical discomfort (teething, colic, wet bed, crumbs on the sheet, unsuitable room temperature);
• hunger;
• late dinner, weaning.

Sleep disturbances in children under one year of age can be caused by rickets, inguinal and umbilical hernia, diseases of the spine, stomach and intestines, and rheumatism.

20% of babies have difficulty falling asleep in the evening, wake up and cry at night.

Different types of disorders have different manifestations.

For treatment and prevention measures for nervous tics in adults, see.

Main manifestations of sleep disorders in children

An incorrect pattern of sleep and wakefulness is expressed in the fact that the baby repeatedly falls asleep during the day and wakes up at night.

In addition, the following deviations are common:

Fears. Sleep disturbances in children of this nature usually occur between the ages of 2-6 years, more often in whiny boys. The child sits up half asleep, screams and cries in bed; calmed down by the efforts of the parents.

During an attack, it is impossible to wake up the child; by the morning he cannot remember his behavior and retell his dreams.

These are manifestations of strong excitation of the nervous system. By the age of 10-12 years the disorder goes away.

Waking up in the middle of the night. Occurs in babies from 4 months to a year. There is nothing serious here and the reason lies in the incorrect behavior of parents who rush to lull their child to sleep. The baby develops a conditioned reflex in which the parents’ attention acts as reinforcement. The body is “set” to awaken to receive food and parental care.

The cause can also be diseases of the heart, blood vessels, and respiratory organs.

Sleepwalking. While sleeping, a child (usually a boy 5-10 years old) behaves actively, walks and performs purposeful actions. His eyes are open, his movements are clumsy, but he does not stumble or bump into furniture; in the morning he doesn’t remember anything.

The disorder can occur in connection with epilepsy, enuresis, diseases of the central nervous system and the genitourinary system.

Talking in your sleep. Children, while in a state of sleep, utter words or sentences, albeit unclear; after waking up they don’t remember anything.

Nightmares are typical for any age, but more often such a sleep disorder can be noticed in a child 3-7 years old, as well as 10-12 years old. Man wakes up in the middle of the night and remembers what he dreamed - this is different from fears. If your nightmares last more than once a week, it's time to see a doctor.

Bruxism. A child (usually 12-13 years old) clenches his teeth, his breathing and heartbeat change. The reason for this behavior is not clear, but worms have nothing to do with it.

This may indicate an incorrect bite. Due to the abrasion of the enamel, the child needs to be shown to an orthodontist. Bruxism is a consequence of nerve dysfunction, when tension in the facial muscles does not go away even at night. This requires the help of a neurologist.

Trembling appear in babies under one year of age, born with hypoxia or developmental defects, and adolescents. Trembling indicates epilepsy ill health of the nervous system and mental sphere.

Urinary incontinence (enuresis) Children aged 6-12 years, with mental retardation or genetically predisposed are susceptible.

The reason is the immaturity of the nervous system (awakening reflexes are not developed), as well as urological diseases and stress.

In this case, a neurologist will help.

Stopping breathing occurs in everyone. The person breathes through his mouth, snores, his breathing is intermittent; Sleep disturbance in infants can be expressed in difficulty eating; older children have difficulty learning due to daytime sleepiness. The disease is associated with enlarged adenoids and tonsils, sometimes with diseases of the nerves and muscles, congenital pathologies, and excess weight.

A consultation with an ENT specialist is required here.

Sleep initiation disorder. Difficulty falling asleep in the evening among preschoolers is common due to difficulties in adapting to a team, increased excitability of the nervous system, and psychological discomfort.

Delayed sleep phase syndrome. Teenagers lead an active life at night, and in the morning it is difficult for them to wake up; they are lethargic all day. The problem has psychological roots associated with entering adulthood and increased school loads.

3% of children suffer from respiratory arrest, 20% suffer from bruxism.

Sleep disorders in children treatment

You should go to the pediatrician if you have a sleep disorder:

• accompanied by a serious change in mood;
• combined with enuresis and shortness of breath;
• lasts more than 3 weeks;
• occurs in children under 1 year of age.

Correction of fears, night awakenings, walking and talking in a dream is that the child must be woken up 10-15 minutes before the onset of the symptom (horrible dreams are seen 1-2 hours after falling asleep).

Then the awakened baby will fall asleep again and will no longer disturb his parents at “school time.”

During bruxism, mouthguards are worn to protect the jaw; if its cause is neurological, take sedatives. For enuresis, “wetness alarms” are used - alarms that go off as soon as the baby urinates. It is important to wake up your child so that he does not do this unconsciously, and always go to the toilet before bed.

For those suffering from sleep initiation disorder, falling asleep at a certain time will help. The baby will intuitively begin to prepare for sleep in advance. Delayed sleep phase syndrome is corrected by shifting nighttime rest to an earlier time.

Pediatricians often prescribe "Bayu-Bai" drops for active, excitable children over 5 years old, the bromine mixture "Citral", as well as the drugs "Notta", "Domirkind", and "Epam" drops for depressed teenagers.

You should not take medications for longer than the doctor prescribed, otherwise apathy will occur.

Prevention

• Keep a sleep diary. Over the course of a week, write down the time the child wakes up, the duration of the anxiety, the time he goes back to sleep, etc.
• Go to bed and wake up, eat at the same time. Walk in the air for at least 2 hours a day, do exercises and wet rubdowns in the morning.
• Limit emotional stress (even pleasant ones). Watching a large number of cartoons overloads the nervous system. You need to watch TV 2 hours before bedtime. You can’t play outdoor games with your child in the evening or force him to eat something. It is better to physically load the child in the first half of the day, and read a fairy tale at night. Do not give sweets before bedtime.
• Regularly ventilate the baby’s room and monitor physical parameters. Optimum temperature 22°C, humidity 70%. This can be achieved by placing a damp cloth on the battery.
• Take care of your bed linen. It should be clean, made of natural fabrics, the mattress should be semi-rigid.
• Provide a comfortable psychological climate. There must be a trusting relationship between family members. Parents need to find out whether their child feels comfortable at school and whether he has good relationships with teachers.

To correct sleep, you may need to prevent your child from sleeping during the day. A soft toy – a symbol of protection – will ensure a peaceful fall asleep.

When a child who falls asleep only in his arms wakes up in bed, he is capricious. You can stop this with the following procedure. Mom sits near the bed and minds her own business. The child, in a rage, throws all the toys around and moves the pillow. Mom comes up, puts everything back in place, then leaves.

Under no circumstances should you deny your child sleep when he asks, under the pretext of being busy with various things.

It is impossible not to react to the crying of a child: in adulthood this will develop into neurosis and complexes.

Sleep is favored by twilight, reading at night, planning for tomorrow, the monotonous noise of a washing machine, a TV from the next room.

Children's sleep is the key to a child's health and a fulfilling married life. Parents who do not limit irritating factors are to blame for sleep disturbances. If there are no visible causes of the disorder, you should see a doctor.

Video on the topic

What can bother a child at night? Knowing this is very important not only for your own comfort, but also for the sake of the child’s health.

The circadian rhythm of a newborn is cyclical. At first, a 90-minute sleep-wake cycle predominates. At 2-8 weeks of age, a 4-hour cycle appears, which is fairly stable until approximately 3 months. After 3 months, the baby can sleep all night, waking up only to feed.

Possible reasons why your child is not sleeping well:

One of the most common causes of sleep disturbances in newborns is abdominal pain, which usually occurs about two weeks after birth. Half of them will improve by two months, and some will experience pain for up to four to five months. The exact cause of colic is unknown, but cow's milk is believed to be to blame. It is known that abdominal pain is most common in breastfed infants if mothers consume more than 0.5 liters of cow's milk per day. In addition, these pains may be associated with the composition of infant formula.

Often, chronic sleep disturbances can be caused by an allergy to salicylates, which are contained in aspirin, food additives (yellow dye tartrazine E 102) and some vegetables and fruits (tomatoes, citrus fruits, raspberries). A diet free of salicylates significantly improves sleep within just a few days. In any case, before you risk introducing anything into your child's diet or changing yours, consult your pediatrician.

Another reason why a child may not sleep well can be teething. In this case, soothing gels and massaging the gums with ice can provide effective help.

The cause of poor sleep can often be associated with congenital diseases of the central nervous system - encephalopathies. The impetus for their development can be gynecological diseases in pregnant women, your bad habits and stress.

Poor sleep can also be caused by brain tumors.

Ear diseases (otitis media) and dysbacteriosis also cause severe restlessness in children at night. All this is accompanied by quite severe pain, and the baby does not sleep well.

Sometimes increased excitability and poor sleep are characteristic of children suffering from pinworms. The child is not only bothered by itching, but his nervous system is constantly poisoned by toxins secreted by pinworms.

Infectious diseases can also lead to sleep disturbances - influenza, meningitis, encephalitis, and simply high temperature (38-40 degrees).

The child may be tormented by terrible dreams, leading to sudden awakenings. It has been scientifically proven that a baby dreams in the womb from 25-30 weeks of pregnancy. It is still not known why these dreams occur, what the child dreams about, and what the role of dreams is in the development of the child. According to one theory, dreams in children are their genetic memory, which is viewed like in a movie theater and ensures that the brain is loaded with the necessary information, and also develops feelings and thinking. Poor sleep can disrupt a child's physical and mental development.

In older children, the cause of “insomnia” often lies behind various night terrors.

From three to five years old, rarely do any children manage to avoid the fear of the dark. As a rule, during this period the child gets acquainted with book and cartoon negative characters. Their images can be so bright that the child begins to fear meeting them when left alone in a dark room.

At the age of five to seven, some children begin to think about death. Most often, they avoid frank conversations with their parents on this topic simply because this is a completely incomprehensible and mysterious phenomenon for them. But, if someone close to you dies in the family, the child worries very deeply, although he does not show it outwardly. In some cases, the moment a child falls asleep begins to be unconsciously associated with the moment of death.

A more common fear for this age is fear of the elements. For today's boys and girls, it is fueled to a large extent by popular and uncontrolled disaster films shown on TV about fires, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, etc.

Seven years is the age of the first school bell. When the first workdays begin after the celebrations, new fears often come with them: the fear of an unsuccessful answer, the teacher’s disapproval, or the unkind attitude of classmates. The child is afraid of seeming funny, weak or stupid. And if at this moment he does not find sympathy from his parents, fears are easily reinforced, after which problems with sleep begin. When going to bed, the child cannot get rid of the thought that the next morning a school nightmare awaits him again. Trying to stall for time, he deliberately sits in front of the TV and is even willing to sit at his desk until late, doing homework much longer than required.

Insomnia can also be caused by mistakes in raising a child, when parents themselves create a situation that contributes to the occurrence of sleep disorders. This is non-compliance with the sleep schedule, when the child is put to bed at different times every day, noisy games before bedtime. A child does not sleep well if you raise your voice or shout at him.

A child's restless sleep indicates that something is wrong with the baby, maybe something hurts. Therefore, we must try to find out the cause of poor sleep and first of all try to eliminate it. The causes of restless sleep can be, in particular: colic, rickets or any vitamin deficiency, neurological disorders (or the child is overexcited before bed), teething, weather changes in a weather-dependent child.

Vanga's recipes for restless sleep in children

There can be many reasons for insomnia in children: overexcitement before bedtime, ailments, spoilage, etc. To treat childhood insomnia, Vanga suggested the following remedies:

• Early in the morning, when dew falls on the grass, spread a clean white sheet on the meadow and thoroughly soak it with dew. Then wrap the child in a sheet and let him sleep for an hour and a half until the sheet dries on him.
• Give your child 1/4 cup of pumpkin decoction with honey to drink at night: for 1 glass of water - 200 g of chopped pumpkin and 1 tablespoon of honey. Boil the pumpkin for 15 - 20 minutes and add honey to the cooled broth.

Decoction of chamomile: pour one tablespoon of chamomile herb with flowers into one glass of sweetened boiling water, cook for 15 minutes. Give the child 1/4 cup warm one hour before bedtime.

Valerian root infusion: pour one tablespoon of crushed valerian officinalis root into a glass of boiling water. Boil for 15 minutes over low heat. Leave for 45 minutes, strain. Children take one teaspoon three times a day.

Valerian helps against the evil eye, fear and insomnia in children. At night, you need to bathe your child in a water decoction of valerian to ensure a smooth and restful sleep.

You can bathe children in a decoction of bedstraw grass. For a bath you need five tablespoons of bedstraw grass per liter of boiling water. Leave for half an hour, strain into the bath. Immediately after bathing, you need to put your child to bed.

Folk remedies for treating restless sleep

Pour 1 teaspoon of dill juice and 1 teaspoon of honey with 1 glass of milk. Store in the refrigerator for no more than a day, at room temperature for no more than half an hour. Give children 1 teaspoon after meals, warmed, to improve sleep.

Place valerian root wrapped in gauze at the child's head to help the child sleep more peacefully.

Pour 1 dessert spoon of chamomile flowers with 1 glass of boiling water and leave for 1 night. Strain and give the child 1 teaspoon 5-6 times a day so that the child sleeps more peacefully.

Pour 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped dill or dill seeds with 2 cups of water. Infuse, strain, give the child 1 teaspoon at night.

A lot of mothers are faced with the problem of poor sleep in their children. The reasons for this can be very different. This is a feeling of hunger, and teething, and pain in the tummy. But sometimes it happens that all these factors are excluded, and the child continues to sleep poorly. We encountered this situation when the child was 10 months old. And when this dragged on for several weeks, I diligently began to look for the cause of restless sleep and use the following recommendations.

Bad dream what to do with him? Here are some tips: before going to bed, I began to ventilate the room as much as possible and monitor the temperature in the room so that it did not exceed 18-19 degrees at night, and I even noticed that it became much easier for me to breathe, not to mention the child! It is better to dress the child in warm pajamas and cover him well with a blanket than to make the room temperature 25 degrees and let the child breathe this air. But I would like to immediately say, make sure that the child is not cold or that his night clothes are not too warm and the child is not sweating! After all, these factors can also cause anxiety during sleep! In addition, I noticed that the child was spinning and constantly lying down in the other direction with his head, so I began to put him to sleep with his head in the direction in which he turned, as it turned out, it was more comfortable for him to sleep. We also placed a very thin pillow under his head and my son began to roll around in the crib less, since he subconsciously always tried to fix his head on the pillow. These simple recommendations helped us cope with poor sleep. But you also need to monitor what clothes the child sleeps in, whether they are comfortable, and whether they are made from natural fabrics. The child’s bedding should be the same. Also, it is necessary to monitor the lighting of the room; there should not be too much light; perhaps a street lamp is disturbing your child’s sleep, then you need to rearrange the crib so that there is no direct light on the child. Use these easy tips and give your kids a good night's sleep!

Poor sleep in a child (causes, consequences, correction).

A very common complaint of parents who have children in the first years of life is sleep disturbances. Moms and dads tell the doctor that the baby often wakes up, sleeps restlessly and tosses and turns, which prevents adults from getting a good night's sleep. Most often, sleep problems turn out to be imaginary, and the baby’s sleep is normal. To dispel parents’ doubts and help them properly organize their child’s sleep, let’s look at the norms and pathologies of sleep in young children.

How does a child sleep normally?

Many parents are concerned about their baby waking up frequently in the first years of life, but in most cases this is not a cause for concern. During the first months, a baby's sleep is intermittent, and from about six months to one and a half to two years, babies tend to wake up frequently at night. Moreover, many people think that sleepless nights are the lot of breastfeeding mothers, because babies wake up to eat milk. Although in fact, artificial babies wake up no less often than breastfed babies.

From a physiological point of view, a young child’s sleep should not be long. It is natural for a child to wake up frequently. In the womb, the baby did not differentiate between sleep and wake phases due to the night, so the baby simply alternated between sleep and activity at regular intervals.

Until about three to four months, the baby sleeps most of the time - up to 18-20 hours a day, and he does not have clear changes between day and night. He usually wakes up when he is hungry or bothered by something, and falls asleep after feeding or eliminating unpleasant factors. On average, sleep periods last about 2-3 hours, at night dreams are usually slightly longer up to 4 hours, and during the day they are usually shorter, from 40 minutes to 2 hours. Many parents are afraid of such sleep rhythms in their children, but this is a physiologically justified phenomenon. In fact, for the health and proper development of a child, this is the rhythm of sleep.

Sleep is divided into certain phases, which successively replace each other throughout the entire sleep period. The stages of falling asleep, rapid or shallow sleep and slow or deep sleep are distinguished. The duration of each sleep phase in an infant is approximately 20-30 minutes, and with age they reach approximately 2 hours each. Moreover, characteristic of children is the predominance of the superficial sleep phase over deep sleep. In the first months of life, the amount of REM sleep is approximately 80-60%; by six months, shallow sleep takes up to 50% of the total sleep time, and by three years it reaches approximately 30% of the total amount of sleep. While for adults, shallow sleep averages 20%. Therefore, a baby, unlike an adult, sleeps in its own way.

The baby's sleep begins with the superficial phase, the baby's eyes are closed, the eyelids tremble, movements of the eyeballs are visible, breathing is irregular, there may be shudders and smiles. Babies dream during this period. In addition, during this period of sleep, active maturation and adjustment of brain structures occurs. The brain analyzes and assimilates information received during wakefulness and forms skills. At this time, if the baby is disturbed by something, he will easily wake up. After 15-20 minutes, the baby’s sleep phases change, breathing slows down, becomes more measured and deep, the heart rate decreases, there is no movement of the eyeballs, shudders stop occurring, muscles relax and fists unclench, the child sweats. This is the phase of slow-wave sleep; during this period it is difficult to wake up the child.

We conclude that in order to put your baby to sleep without problems, you need to wait until the moment of transition from shallow sleep to deep sleep and only then put the baby in the crib. If you do this earlier, the baby will wake up and it will be difficult for him to fall asleep again.

What is the problem?

And yet, sometimes a child’s sleep is disturbed - there are many reasons for this, and most of them do not require medical intervention or medication correction. Doctors identify four main groups of causes that cause poor sleep in children. Usually this:

Physiological reasons and characteristics of the child,

Emotional overload of the baby,

Diseases and problems in the child’s health,

Neurological pathology.

We talked about the physiological characteristics of sleep earlier; a baby’s sleep is subject to certain rhythms and this must be taken into account when creating a daily routine.

Parents often complain that the child slept well until about 6-8 months, and then it was as if he had been replaced. He began to wake up, toss and turn, and even get on all fours or crawl while sleeping. We hasten to reassure parents – this is a normal occurrence. The baby, starting from about six months, daily masters a large number of skills of movement, control of his body and receives a lot of emotions. The nervous system analyzes these daytime impressions in detail at night, during sleep, carefully working out and remembering the smallest details. Therefore, sometimes at night the baby may try to crawl, get on all fours and even laugh, gurgle and whine without waking up. If during the day he is cheerful, cheerful, eats well, and has no signs of illness, then his sleep is sufficient and there is no need to do anything. The baby's body perfectly controls and regulates sleep time without your intervention.

Very often, parents are frightened by the child's nighttime shuddering, but this does not indicate pathology. Such shudders occur as a result of the work of the nervous system in the REM sleep phase and are manifested by single or repeated contractions of the muscles of the limbs or body. Most of all, they appear in easily excitable babies in the first year of life or after emotional events - joy, resentment, hysterics, and usually progressively decrease with age.

Sometimes at night the baby may experience sobbing or whims and crying. Their reason is similar - an excess of emotions in the daytime and evening. Most likely, it is worth reviewing the baby’s daily routine, moving active games and noisy fun to an earlier date, so that the child’s nervous system does not become overstimulated before bedtime.

Sleep depends on your health status. When a baby has a stomach ache or is teething, his sleep becomes restless, interrupted, and the baby often cries and wakes up. In addition, the baby's clothes affect his sleep - if elastic bands, laces or seams press on him, the baby will toss and turn in his sleep, whine and wake up. Sleep can be disturbed if the air in the nursery is too warm and dry, then the nasal mucous membranes dry out, it becomes difficult to breathe and the baby may wake up. In addition, the baby may be hot, especially if parents carefully cover the baby with a blanket, and this also reduces the quality of sleep. The optimal temperature for sleeping is 18-20 degrees and humidity not lower than 60%. If it is not possible to maintain such a temperature, you should at least make it a rule to air the room for a long time before going to bed.

Sleep disorders.

When it comes to sleep disorders, there are still no unambiguous classifications. The most successful classification today is that proposed by American doctors:

1. These are primary sleep disorders, in which there are no associated problems; they occur without any obvious external or internal causes in the baby.

2. These are secondary disorders in which sleep disturbances are one of the symptoms of diseases or conditions of the child’s body - sleep disorders due to emotional overload, diseases of the stomach and intestines, allergies, infectious and other diseases. Most often, they reveal damage to the nervous system that regulates and coordinates sleep processes.

Violations are usually divided into short-term, which disappear in a few days, and long-term, which sometimes last for months and even years.

In infancy, behavioral insomnia is most common, when the child has great difficulty falling asleep and is unable to maintain sufficiently long sleep independently. Usually babies after 3-4 months of life. even if something disturbed them in their sleep and they woke up, when the disturbing factor is eliminated, they quickly fall asleep again, practically without requiring the help of their parents. for sleep disorders baby. who is usually characterized by excitement and excitability, simply cannot fall asleep without the participation of his mother or certain rituals. Every time he needs long-term laying down and rocking, the presence of adults is required. That is, the main difference from the usual sleep of children is that with an equal number of awakenings per night, the inability to fall asleep on their own for a long time, going to bed for 30-40 minutes.

This is often observed when children are overtired, there is an excess of daytime emotions, it is observed in the first half of the night, until about 1-3 o’clock in the morning, the child wakes up from the slightest noise or even steps. And the most common reason for these violations is parents’ mistakes in organizing the baby’s routine and ignoring his signals.

Confused day and night.

In babies, the processes of division into night and daytime sleep are formed from about 3-4 months, however, the internal biological rhythm, the “lark” or “night owl”, also plays a big role. If the regime set by the parents does not coincide with the child’s biorhythms, sleep disturbances may occur. The baby simply cannot fall asleep at a certain time, and then it is difficult for him to wake up. At the same time, all sleep processes will be mixed - both daytime and nighttime. As a result, disruptions occur in the functioning of the entire body, the baby becomes capricious, appetite and even immunity may suffer. When this process lasts for a long time, problems develop that can only be eliminated with the help of a doctor. This will require the joint efforts of all family members and strict adherence to the regime by everyone. The most effective are intense physical activity and walks throughout the day, strictly observing the time of going to bed and waking up.

What can I do to help my baby sleep better?

To begin with, just understand that waking up several times at night for a child under three years old is normal and not to worry about it. If these awakenings are very painful for you, you need to tune in to a positive mood and a little help your baby and yourself normalize sleep.

First of all, analyze the diet - the baby should eat enough during the day so as not to wake up at night from hunger; in the evening, you need to include porridge, bread, yogurt, cheese, eggs and fruits in the baby’s diet.

Develop your own “sleep ceremony” that will set your child up for a timely bedtime - a walk, dinner, then a bath and reading a fairy tale, for example. All this will create a conditioned reflex to sleep at a certain time.

Babies should be put to bed at the first signs of fatigue, without waiting until they become lethargic or overexcited. Children under four years of age should ideally live no later than 20-21 hours. Before school, a child must have a nap during the day; a child who does not sleep during the day will sleep poorly at night. If your baby wakes up at night, calm him down with a quiet voice, a lullaby or a few words that you say when he goes to bed. Do not use these words in other situations; let the baby form an association of these words with sleep. You should not turn on the light, change the diaper again, or distract the child with toys. For a restful sleep, the baby must fall asleep in a good mood, with his favorite toy or next to his mother. You should not suddenly change your sleeping environment; children are calmer in a familiar environment. For babies, and especially infants, the practice of sleeping together is especially convenient; this will allow the baby to sleep more peacefully and the mother to get enough sleep.

If the baby wakes up and is crying, do not ignore him, be sure to go up to him, take him in your arms or sit next to him. Your presence will calm the baby and allow him to return to the land of dreams.

Why does my child sleep poorly at night? Six most common reasons

Probably every second parent has encountered the problem of restless children's sleep, which suggests that this situation can be considered the rule rather than the exception. This is confirmed by modern studies of children's sleep (the most famous are currently being conducted by Professor James McKenna at the University of Notre Dame in the USA).

However, Russian pediatricians and neurologists often classify restless sleep of even a three-month-old child as a neurological disorder and begin to prescribe various medications. However, if your child has difficulty sleeping at night, do not rush to feed your little one medication!

Most likely, there is no reason for this, and you can improve his sleep in ways that are less risky for his health. To do this, you need to experimentally determine what is the cause of poor children's sleep.

Option one - age characteristics

For some reason, it is believed that children in the first months of life sleep a lot and soundly. Of course, there are such kids, but they are not the majority. Many babies placed separately from their parents do not sleep well at night until they are three to six months old, and this is due to the peculiarities of their sleep architecture.

In children of this age, shallow sleep quantitatively predominates over deep sleep, which is why they wake up more often. Further, the child’s behavior depends on his individual characteristics: some can fall asleep on their own again, others need help. In addition, physiologically, many children up to 6–12 months (or even later) require night breastfeeding (this does not apply to artificial babies).

The second “difficult” stage, associated with possible disturbances in night sleep, occurs at the age of one and a half to three years. At this time, the baby develops fears (he begins to be afraid of the dark, fantastic characters, etc.), which also manifest themselves in the form of nightmares. Because of this, even a child who did not cause any problems to his parents in the first year of life may have trouble sleeping at night.

How to improve your child's sleep: The easiest way to solve both problems at the same time is to start from the first days of life and until the age of 2–2.5 years, practice co-sleeping with your child. It has been proven that if an infant sleeps with his parents, he cries much less often at night (in order to attract attention, he does not need to cry, just move slightly), thanks to which the rest of the family members get enough sleep.

In addition, in the parent's bed, the child more easily survives the first encounter with nightmares, thanks to which in the future he treats them less painfully than his peers. Another thing is that the option of sleeping together for such a long time is not suitable for everyone. If for some reason you are not satisfied with it, then be patient and be ready to come to the child’s aid at the first request.

The main thing is not to leave the baby alone with his problem; he is not yet able to cope with it alone. If we are talking about a two or three month old baby who does not sleep well at night, then do not leave him crying in his crib, calm the baby down and help him fall asleep. During the day, provide him with maximum tactile contact - this will help reduce his anxiety, the child will become noticeably calmer.

If we are talking about an older toddler who cannot cope with his fears on his own, then try to talk with the child and find out what exactly he is afraid of, and then try to take some action together with him to solve the problem.

Anything can help “drive” horror stories out of an apartment: a night light on, a plush toy placed in a child’s bed, a “wind chime” hung above the door. Children at this age attach great importance to rituals: if you organize an “action” to expel the “beech” from the baby’s closet using some magical devices, it may well work.
Option two – the specifics of the child’s temperament

If your child is excitable, quickly “starts up” and takes a long time to “cool down,” is very demanding of environmental conditions, spends a lot of time in your arms, most likely he belongs to the group of “children with increased needs.” Such babies need a special approach at any age - a month, a year, and five years.

They are the ones who have the most serious problems with sleep: in infancy - due to their inability to relax and fall asleep on their own, in older age - due to impressionability and frequent nightmares.

How to improve your child's sleep: If in the previous case, co-sleeping was considered a recommended, but, in principle, not obligatory measure, then in this case it may become the only way to ensure normal sleep for the whole family (at least when it comes to a child up to a year).

While calmer children can be trained to sleep in a crib within a few weeks, children with increased needs can exhaust their parents at night for many months. Therefore, it is better for fathers and mothers of such a baby to take a philosophical view of the situation and purchase a three-size king-size bed or a special crib for sleeping together.

This crib with a removable side wall moves close to the parent's bed. If for some reason this option is not for you, then be patient and wait, and try to organize your baby’s life so that during the day he is minimally overexcited, but at the same time spends a lot of energy.

Walk with him more, do gymnastics, go to the pool; Before going to bed, bathe your child, adding motherwort infusion or pine extract to the water, and give the baby a relaxing massage. It is better to put excitable, impressionable children under three or four years old to sleep in their parents’ room, rather than in a separate nursery.

Option three - wrong lifestyle

If a child does not sleep well at night, there is a high probability that he is using too little energy and, therefore, is not tired enough. This is what in most cases is the cause of poor children’s sleep, says Ukrainian pediatrician Evgeniy Komarovsky. It may seem to you that during an hour and a half walk and playing with cars, your child already spends a lot of energy.

However, you are thinking in terms of your age: children are so active and mobile that some of them can only be “done” after many hours of racing around the yard with obstacles.

How to improve your child's sleep: increase the amount of time spent in the fresh air; keep your child busy with sports and dancing; play outdoor games more often; make him forget about the TV and computer.

Option four – uncomfortable sleeping environment

Why does my child sleep poorly at night? Maybe because you wrap him up too much? Or his pajamas are uncomfortable, or the sheets are too hard, the pillow is uncomfortable, is your room too stuffy, or, conversely, is there a draft? Analyze all these factors; Maybe by changing one of them, you will be able to quickly improve your baby's sleep.

Option five - well-being

Even an adult's sleep will be disturbed if he has a stomach ache or if his wisdom teeth are erupting. For children (especially in the first year or two) such “problems” are quite common; because of them, the baby’s well-being worsens, and the child sleeps poorly at night.

How to improve your child’s sleep: eliminate the cause of the ailment or relieve pain (use antipyretics, painkillers, if necessary, gels to reduce pain in the gums during teething, etc.)

Option six – changes in the baby’s life

If your child has difficulty sleeping at night, this may be a reaction to some significant changes in his life. For example, you moved to a new apartment, you have another child in your family, or your baby has just recently started sleeping separately from his parents. The toddler may be very worried about this, which will cause sleep disturbances.

How to improve your child's sleep: Patience, patience and only patience. Be calm about the fact that your child comes to you at night, do not refuse him affection, explain that change is very good and you should not be afraid of it. After some time, the baby's sleep will improve.

Some tips to help your children sleep well

For children under 1 year of age:

1. Never wake a sleeping baby, even if it is feeding time. The child must establish his own rhythm of sleep and wakefulness. If you constantly disrupt the course of his biological clock, then the baby will have a worse time getting used to the regular circadian rhythm.

2. While your child is sleeping, you should not tiptoe, be afraid to turn on the radio and TV, or talk only in a whisper. The sooner your baby learns to fall asleep to normal home sounds, the better it will be for both you and him.

3. Make sure your baby is well fed before bed.

4. Feed your baby quietly and calmly at night. Lighting should be dim and communication should be minimal.

5. Daytime feeding should be exciting. It is advisable to talk loudly, laugh, sing songs or play with the baby. Feeding is best done in bright light or near a window that lets in daylight.

6. At the age of 10-12 months, night feeding should be removed from the regime. The child may be a little fussy, but usually falls asleep within 15-20 minutes. After four or five such nights, sleep becomes continuous throughout the night.

For children over 1 year of age:

1. Start a subject intermediary. This could be a toy or doll that softens the child’s separation from his parents. An object mediator gives the child a sense of permanence and stability. These feelings are especially important for children as they fall asleep or wake up during the night.

2. The bed should only be used for sleeping and no toys should be kept in it (except for an object mediator). While awake, the child should be in the playpen or in a safe part of the room.

3. You should not give your child drinks containing caffeine (cocoa, cola, etc.) at night.

4. Always put your baby to bed at a specific time. Going to bed should be accompanied by a sequence of actions that would remind you that it is time to sleep. Moreover, their order should always be the same, for example: washing, putting on night pajamas, telling a story, etc.

5. There should not be complete darkness in the children's room. The best choice is dim lighting from a night light, in which the child, upon waking up, could see surrounding objects or find an object intermediary in the bed.

6. Don’t rush to your baby at the first sob. If you have a little patience, many children stop crying and calmly fall asleep. In this situation, adult intervention can only disrupt sleep. I think you wouldn’t like it either, if every time you sighed or moaned in your sleep, your partner turned on the light and loudly wondered what was happening. If the child still does not fall asleep, then you can approach him and quietly try to calm him down by stroking his head or stomach. Make sure he's comfortable and dry, but don't pick him up. For children aged 3-7 years, you can say something like: “Mom is with you. Everything is fine. Sleep, my dear.”

7. Do not associate in the child’s mind the reluctance to sleep with a series of pleasures. Any child, realizing how easy it is to sit in front of the TV in the middle of the night, cuddling with his parents, enjoying a variety of drinks and sweets, will try with great pleasure to stay awake. Children should not be allowed to leave the bedroom at night unless absolutely necessary.

Serious disturbances, restless and anxious sleep in a young child depend on certain factors. Certain sleep disorders are influenced by exercise, diet, psychological factors, or certain medications. The cause may be a neurological mental disorder, which is often characteristic of infants. Age and health status play a significant role. It is worth carefully reviewing the possible sources of restless dreams in a one-month-old baby, as well as in children over one year old, and then determining the true cause of the illness.

Restless sleep in infants

The appearance of a little baby in the house changes the rhythm and style of life of all family members. Caring for a baby can not only be pleasant, but also cause negative emotions, such as excitement, nervousness, and anxiety. Many parents are frightened by restless and weak sleep in a 1-month-old child, especially if it is accompanied by sobs.
Restless interval sleep in a 2-month-old child causes great concern, because the adaptation period is over, and nighttime rest has not returned to normal at all. Quality rest at night is an important part of quality recovery of the body. Its deficiency can cause serious consequences in an infant. Restless dreams of a baby can cause neuralgic disorders and provoke illnesses within the body.
The causes of restless dreams in infants are as follows:

• adaptation to the outside world;
• an unstable emotional background can provoke restless, anxious sleep in a small child of 5 months, as well as in young children;
• loud sounds;
• dry or too humid air can become a source of anxiety during night rest and restless dreams in a 4-month-old child;
• weather dependence;
• the eruption of the first teeth often provokes restlessness in sleep in a 6-month-old baby;
• psychological barriers;
• emotional protest to something;
• stool disorders;
• colds;
• restless and anxious sleep in children 7 months old may be caused by lack of attention from parents;
• Frequent urination, leaking diapers.

A 1-1.5 year old child sleeps poorly at night

The basic cause of anxiety in children of this age is poor and poor-quality rest during the day, frequent whims, extreme excitability, and the child’s bad mood. Also, nuances with diapers can disrupt the routine at this age, because when such a hygiene item is wet or uncomfortable, the baby will definitely not be able to sleep. Also, the following may influence:

• lack of fresh air;
• unstable temperature in the room;
• possible ailments of internal organs;
• experienced mental trauma or stress;
• neurological abnormalities.

If a possible source in the form of stale air has been identified and eliminated, you can forget about disturbing dreams. If the cause of the disorder was more complex factors, night rest does not return to normal for a long time, it is worth contacting a specialist.
Did you know? Babies can dream while still in the womb - from the 27th week. Dreams can be caused by the baby’s special genetic memory - the experience of previous generations. It is unknown whether dreams affect the fetus's body or not.

Causes of poor sleep in a child 2-4 years old

Anxious falling asleep, restless and weak sleep in a small child of 2 years old can be provoked by the same factors as in a one-year-old baby, especially extreme nervous excitability. Also, difficulty falling asleep and restless sleep in a child aged 3 years can be caused by a cold or nightmares. Unpleasant dreams often provoke anxiety during rest. Restless dreams in a 4-year-old child can be very conscious real nightmares, based on emotions experienced during the daytime. If a child of this age often has nightmares, it is worth contacting a psychologist to avoid neurological and mental problems, and also to eliminate the cause of nightmares.

Causes of poor sleep in a child 5-7 years old

Anxiety during the night can still be caused by illness or complications in the body, neurological or mental pathology. Restless dreams in a 6-year-old child may be accompanied by sleep talking and somnambulism. There are frequent cases of nocturnal enuresis, which often provokes a lack of good sleep in an 8-year-old child, as well as in young children. As a rule, this problem goes away by the age of nine. If nocturnal enuresis lasts for a long time, you should consult a doctor.

Symptoms of restless sleep

Certain and basic symptoms will help you quickly identify problems with your baby falling asleep and correct the situation. These include:

1. grinding of teeth, shallow breathing and rapid heartbeat;
2. enuresis due to anxiety, stress;
3. shuddering during dreams;
4. psychomotor agitation;
5. crying, nightmares;
6. breathing disorders.

The main mistakes of parents

The main mistake parents make is ignoring this problem. If the disorders are not dealt with, the baby may be susceptible to developing serious illnesses of a physiological as well as mental nature. No less serious mistakes are overfeeding at night, falling asleep late, and lack of routine.

Psychological mistakes include quarrels in front of the baby, showdowns, maternal depression, and aggression.

Also, disorders can be affected by:

• moving;
• changing of the living place;
• stress;
• problems with peers or parents aged 5-8 years.

When to see a doctor

It is worth resorting to the help and consultation of a pediatrician if symptoms of problems with night rest and falling asleep appear constantly. Especially when nightmares are accompanied by hysterics and a constant cold in the baby.

You should contact a neurologist if you have possible speech disorders, as well as developmental disorders of the baby. Also, if your little one is sick with the flu or has a cold, you should contact your pediatrician.

Ways to normalize sleep

Without the help of a doctor, parents can take the following steps to normalize their baby's routine. First of all, it is worth creating a favorable environment - silence, a comfortable bed, peace, feeding schedule. This will help the baby fall asleep faster and normalize its routine. You need to monitor the situation in the room, the freshness of the air, and the feeding schedule in accordance with the baby’s age. It is equally important to wean a one-year-old child from night feeding and eliminate possible hiccups. Also, do not forget about a proper rest-wake regime.

Support for a comfortable microclimate

A favorable microclimate inside the room is very important for quality sleep. It will help prevent disorders of this nature and many ailments. It is necessary to ventilate the room on time, wet cleaning and cleanliness in the baby’s room are required. You need to pay attention to frequently changing bed linen to clean ones. Temperature is no less important - it should not be too cold, but not too hot. It is important to choose natural bed linen, as well as high-quality clothes for relaxation.

Creating bedtime rituals

Creating special rituals can combat restless sleep in a child at night and make it easier to fall asleep. These habits include:

• collection of toys;
• changing into pajamas;
• bedtime story;
• tea party;
• singing a song or poem;
• teeth cleaning;
• drinking milk;
• watching a cartoon.

Did you know? Falling asleep in your parents' bed can negatively impact your night's rest. A one-year-old should be accustomed to his own crib and independence. This will help save your baby from problems falling asleep in the future and stress from separation from parents during sleep.

Compliance with the regime

From the age of 1.5 years, it is worth instilling the correct sleep and wakefulness regime. This regime will help parents normalize the baby’s rest, during the day and in the evening. The correct sleep schedule, depending on the baby’s age, has a beneficial effect on falling asleep, brain function, and the correct alternation of rest phases. This habit will help make it easier to fall asleep in the future and instill the basics of proper rest. At this pace, the baby will be able to get rid of fatigue, lethargy and reluctance to play or perform minimal movements, because lack of rest directly affects the baby’s condition.

Such simple tips will help parents quickly identify possible disturbances in rest at night, determine the cause, and also improve the quality of falling asleep, and organize a normal, restful night's rest. If you experience prolonged symptoms of anxiety during your night's rest, you should definitely consult a doctor - a pediatrician or neurologist.

List of used literature:

• Giedd JN, Rapoport JL; Rapoport (September 2010). “Structural MRI of pediatric brain development: what have we learned and where are we going?” Neuron
• Poulin-Dubois D, Brooker I, Chow V; Brooker; Chow (2009). “The developmental origins of naïve psychology in infancy.” Advances in Child Development and Behavior. Advances in Child Development and Behavior.
• Stiles J, Jernigan TL; Jernigan (2010). “The basics of brain development.” Neuropsychology Review