Toddler Sleep Problems – Symptoms, Counseling and Medical Attention

Just like adults, toddlers sleep problems can occur, which could result in lack of sleep, fear of sleeping alone, restless sleep and insomnia. Nightmares are the most common sleep problems of toddlers.

Dreams usually occur when people are in the REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep, which occurs about four to five times each night. Although many dreams are easily forgotten, most nightmares can wake up your toddler from bed and call for his or her parents.

Toddler sleep problems generally start at three years of age up to eight years old. This stage is the toddler’s most active fantasy life, which results in more realistic and vivid dreams. However, when nightmares occur, your toddler will be wide-awake and responsive after a certain nightmare. Because of this, your son or daughter will still recall details of the nightmare even in the next morning.

Although toddler sleep problems, especially nightmares, are normal, a persistent and nightly set of nightmares is not healthy for both your toddler and other people in your household because it could cause sleepless nights. Continuous nightmares are usually triggered by stress, change in routines or a response to a store, TV show or violent movie. The best way to fight toddler sleep problems associated with nightmares is to reassure him or her that the dream is not real. You can also avoid stress in your toddler’s life and avoid telling horror stories or watching brutal shows before bedtime.

Understanding Night Terrors and Sleepwalking
The other two common toddler sleep problems are night terrors and sleepwalking, which are both normal during this stage of your child. Compared to nightmares, night terrors can be frightening to parents because your toddler is not aware that he or she is screaming or crying for several minutes in the middle of the night. Since he is not aware, you cannot reassure them that the night terror is not real. For this reason, you just need to ensure that your child returns to bed safely.

Sleepwalking is a normal sleep problem of toddlers. Just like night terrors, your child is not aware of what he or she is doing, such as walking around the house. Sleepwalkers usually go back to bad in a couple of minutes, so it is not advisable to wake them up while sleepwalking. Instead, you should make sure that your toddler goes back to bed safely.

When nightmares, sleepwalking, night terrors and other toddler sleep problems continue to persist, it is important that you seek counseling or medical attention to disrupt the cycle and allow your child to have proper sleep.

Next article: Infant Sleep Problems – Common mistakes and Treatments