Childhood insomnia is not often talked about, but is a very real issue. Signs may not be obvious, unless you have a child overtly acting out, and sleep deprivation is identified as the main issue.
Childhood insomnia is the same as it is in adults where children can't fall asleep, stay asleep, or sleep until the next morning.
Unfortunately identifying childhood insomnia is made difficult because symptoms largely overlap with seemingly normal child and teen behavioral changes:
The difference between childhood insomnia causing such problems and normal childhood development is that one is normal, and one is likely preventable.
Causes of childhood insomnia in young children tend to differ from teenagers. For one, younger children tend to have much less free access to distractions such as TV, smart phones, social media, and so on. Also, they lack the extreme changes that are characteristic of puberty.
Often, causes of childhood insomnia in younger children are environmental:
For parents who have tried everything to get their child comfortable and ready for bed but it still is a struggle to get/stay asleep, there may be other factors at work:
Trying to observe your child during their sleep may help you narrow down how and when such symptoms are expressed.
Puberty has the unique side effect of making a young adult feel about as close to an alien as is possible. Puberty takes an enormous toll on children, including:
Speaking from personal experience, I struggled greatly with insomnia in early high school for many of the reasons listed above. Especially for children in competitive academic and athletic environments, the stress and anxiety of these pursuits can, when paired with puberty, be extremely stressful and their sleep will suffer as a direct consequence.
As parents, this can be frustrating because you want your children to be happy and succeed, so it's hard to know how to help sometimes.
Symptoms of childhood insomnia reflect those of adult insomnia. They may differ in how they are described, though, because of developmentally appropriate differences in behaviors. Symptoms include:
The consequences of such problems are not hard to imagine. In short:
As said, the important point to keep in mind with these symptoms is context: are the symptoms caused by sleep deprivation or are they due to normal childhood development.
Treatments for childhood insomnia will vary a lot depending on the age of the child and the causes for their symptoms. There are three different categories in which to organize possible causes of childhood insomnia:
Therapy can often be an effective treatment for children of any age whose insomnia is caused by personal stressors or normal development.
Being staunch about bedtime routines, bedtimes, the sleeping environment, and personal habits before bed for children of any age is also an effective method of limiting external factors that cause insomnia. This includes making sure rooms are dark and quiet, baths before bed, essential oils, no food before bed, and a consistent routine in the hour before bedtime. With younger children, you have direct control over such things. With teenagers, you have less direct control but largely have much say and influence over promoting healthy bedtime factors.
Consulting with your pediatrician about potential medical reasons for the insomnia, such as obstructive sleep apnea in your child, medications causing problems, or medical related side effects of getting older (hormones, growth spurt pains, etc.)
Finally, sometimes simply talking to your child and communicating a sense of flexibility in expectations about academic and extracurricular performance can be a big stress relief for children as they tend to want to please parents, and may be sacrificing their own health to do so.
If you live in Alaska and are concerned that your child is dealing with problems related to sleep deprivation and childhood insomnia, our sleep specialist can provide insight. Contact us: