wwwsleephealthfoundationorgau Raising awareness of - PDF document

www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au | Raising awareness of sleep health Your child finds it hard to settle into sleep. Theycomplain that their legs don't feel comfortable. Orthey have to move or get out of bed to walk around. Your child may have Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS).This is a movement disorder. It causes strange feelings inthe legs. These come when the legs are at rest, or whenyour child is lying down ready for sleep. These feelingsmake the child want to move the legs or walk around.When they move their legs, they will feel better for ashort time. But the feelings will come back after a shorttime. These tend to occur in the time before sleep. Thismeans can make it hard to get to sleep and stayasleep. It can make their sleep worse. This can lead tobehaviour and learning problems during the day. Apaediatric sleep specialist can tell if your child has RLSand if so how bad it is. They can then arrange to treat it,if your child needs it.Your child moves frequently during sleep and wakesin the morning but does not look refreshed. This iseven though they were in bed long enough to haveenough sleep for their age. Your child is also havingproblems during the day with their behaviour andlearning.Your child may have periodic limb movements (PLMS)during sleep.These are when your child moves a body part duringsleep. It is most common in the legs. The limb moves orjerks over and over, then stays still for a time. After awhile, the limb starts moving again. This can disturb theirsleep. They might wake up at night. This can causedaytime problems with behaviour, learning andsleepiness. A paediatric sleep specialist needs to look atyour child to be sure if they have or not. They willneed to do an overnight sleep study. The see how much of an impact the PLMS is having on sleepas well. There are a number of ways to treat PLMS e.g.iron supplements, exercise and / or medications. PLMSmay occur together with Restless Legs SyndromeYour child wakes up all of a sudden at night. Theylook anxious or in distress. You may have seen themmoving their arms and legs over and over. Or theymay sleep in a strange position. At night, they mightgo stiff or call out.This may be due to a parasomnia.Parasomnias are a group of night time sleep problems.They are most common from 2 to 8 years of age.Common types are sleep terrors, confusional arousals,sleep walking, sleep talking and nightmares. Risk factorsinclude if the child doesn't get enough sleep or feelsstressed. It can also run in families: a child has a higher risk if a parent had a parasomnia as a child. Parasomnias are usually thought of as normal in children. They do notnormally need treatment, except if they are frequent orthere is a risk that the child might hurt themselves.Parents should find out about these parasomnias. Theyshould

learn how to help their child during and after one.Sleep TerrorsSleep WalkingNightmaresYour child may have nocturnal seizures.These can occur as the child goes to sleep, during sleep orjust after waking in the morning. They can happen even ifthe child has never had a seizure during the day. They aremuch rarer than night terrors. The child may move in thesame way over and over. They may jerk and shake. Theymay or may not wake up. However, they tend to get inthe way of a good nights sleep. This leads to daytimeproblems in behaviour and learning skills. If you suspectnocturnal seizures discuss this with your GP. They mayrefer your child to a paediatric sleep specialist orNeurologist.Your child finds it hard to get to sleep and/or finds ithard to go back to sleep after they wake up at night.Or they wake very early in the morning.Your child may have insomnia.This is a sleep problem where it is hard to go to sleep andstay asleep. The cause is often behavioural sleepproblemsanxietydepressionor stress. Or it could be thatthey cannot switch off the brain from thinking and let goof the day. This can cause daytime problems withbehaviour and learning. Good sleep habits before and atthe time they go to bed can make things better. SeeSleep Tips for Children. This will fix the issue for most children. But ifnot then they should see your family doctor who mayarrange a referral to a paediatric sleep specialist. They willlook for more ways to improve your childs sleep.Your child as a toddler got into a habit of going tobed at 10pm. But now they are going to school andthey must go to sleep at 8pm. They are finding ithard to adjust to this earlier time.Your child is most likely suffering from delayed sleepphase syndrome (DSPS).DSPS is a sleep problem with the internal is also known as the circadian rhythm. It controls thesleep times of the body. With DSPS, the body clock hasbeen trained to go to sleep later through habit. But youcan retrain it so your child can go to sleep earlier. To dothis, get them to go to bed 15 minutes earlier each nightfor a week. Changing things step by step is easier than asudden change. Be sure they get plenty of bright light(e.g. outdoor) as soon as they need to wake up. SeeDelayed Sleep Phase Syndrome. If this doesnt work then they should see a paediatric sleep specialist. SHF-SleepProblems-1111 6/12/11 3:57 PM Page 2 During the day your child is very sleepy. Also theirmuscles will go weak all of a sudden. When thishappens, they fall to the ground. This seems to beset off by laughter or upsets. This can happenseveral times in a week.Your child may be suffering from NarcolepsyThis is a neurological sleep problem. The brain cantcontrol the desire to sleep while its awake. If your childhas it, they may feel very sleepy during the day. It maybe linked with ot

her symptoms such as cataplexy (suddenloss of muscle strength). In some people, it causessudden sleep attacks during the day too. To work out ifyour child has it or not, they will need to visit a ChildrensSleep Unit. Here they will do an overnight sleep studyand daytime nap studies. A paediatric sleep specialistneeds to do this. If they do turn out to have it, amanagement plan will be developed. Plans to managebehaviour and maybe some medication will be a part ofNarcolepsyYour child is very sleepy during the day, every day.weak all of a sudden.There are a lot of things that could cause this. Excessive Daytime Sleepiness. You may need todiscuss this with your family doctor.Your child is always hard to wake up in the morning.They still seem tired. During the day, your childseems hyperactive. They are quick to get upset. Yourchild is having problems at school with learning newthings, concentrating and staying on task. They mayalso have problems socialising with other children. Your child may have a sleep problem or sleep disorder.A child can have a sleep problems and a sleep disorderfor some time before it is noticed. You need to look atyour childs sleep. Also look at how they function duringthe day. You need to see if you can find any clues thatthere may be a sleep problem. If you do suspect theyhave one, keep a diary of what you see and when yousee it. You should see your family doctor to discuss yourconcerns. A referral to a paediatric sleep specialist may beFurther Informationhttp://www.nasponline.org/resources/health_wellness/sleepdisorders_ho.aspx www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au | Raising awareness of sleep healthSleep Health Foundation 114/30 Campbell Street, Blacktown NSW 2148T: +61 (0) 2 8814 8655 F: +61 (0) 2 9672 3884 Disclaimer - Information provided here is general in nature and should not be seen as a substitute for professional medical advice.Ongoing concerns about sleep or other medical conditions should be discussed with your local doctor.©Sleep Health Foundation, 2011This information is produced by:Sleep Health Foundationwww.sleephealthfoundation.org.auA national organisation devoted toeducation, advocacy and supportingresearch into sleep and its disordersSleep Disorders Australiawww.sleepoz.org.auA voluntary group offering assistanceand support to people and theirfamilies living with sleep disordersAustralasian Sleep Associationwww.sleep.org.auThe peak national association ofclinicians and scientists devoted toinvestigation of sleep and its disorders SHF-SleepProblems-1111 6/12/11 3:57 PM Page 3 Sleep Problems and Sleep Disordersin School Aged Childrenwww.sleephealthfoundation.org.au | Raising awareness of sleep health There are a number of common sleep problems and sleep SHF-SleepProblems-1111 6/12/11 3:57 PM Page