What is pediatric insomnia?
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that causes problems falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up too early in the morning.
Signs and symptoms that your child might be experiencing it include:
- Behavioral health issues like depression.
- Difficulty falling asleep once awake.
- Excessive drowsiness or grogginess during the day.
- Resisting going to sleep or worrying about nighttime.
- Trouble falling asleep.
- Waking up during the night.
- Waking up when it is still dark out.
- It can be caused by a number of things, including: caffeine intake, mental health disorders and stress, environmental factors (i.e., temperature, light, loud noises), medications, or other sleep disorders (i.e., sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome).
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When should you seek professional help?
If you are experience any of the following, it would be helpful to contact professional help for further assistance:
- Loud snoring or gasping during sleep.
- New onset of bedwetting for older children.
- Period of repetitive jerking or thrashing during sleep.
- Safety concerns such as elopement or self-injurious behaviors.
- Sleep difficulties that may be related to mental health concerns (i.e., symptoms of depression or anxiety can impact sleep).
