Medsarticles. Medical Weblog

Preschoolers experience the same sleep problems as toddlers. Bad habits and behaviours learned during the toddler period have often become entrenched by this time. During school age most children will have outgrown the problems seen at younger ages, but this is the peak age for nightmares, school terrors and sleepwalking. Some children also have trouble getting off to sleep, or wake very early in the morning. This is often related to stresses in their day to day life, and many children ruminate endlessly about the day’s events or worry about what the next day will bring.

In general, the problems referred to above are those that persist for prolonged periods of time when the child is well and there are no specific family disruptions. It is very important for parents to understand that all children will exhibit altered sleep patterns when they are sick or there are changes to family routine. Even trivial illnesses, such as colds, that do not seem to affect young children much during the day, may affect them at night. They may need more cuddling and become more dependent on parents, and may wake during the night even if they have already established regular sleep patterns.

Similarly, it is quite normal for children to regress at times of stress or family disruption. Children who have to spend time in hospital or have been separated from the parents for some other reason will behave like a younger child for a period of time. One of the commonest reasons children regress, including reverting to more immature sleep patterns, is the arrival of a younger sibling.

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