HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES FOR SLEEP PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN

Sleep is essential to a child’s’ health. Learning how to sleep soundly is a normal part of development. It is typical for children to wake during the night. However, returning to sleep may be difficult at times for children. Children who get little sleep are more likely to have behavioral problems, be prone to general moodiness, and have difficulties living up to their potential. Having a child that is not getting restful sleep or enough sleep can put significant stress on the family. Fortunately, many of the common sleep problems that children have are easily remedied after they are identified.

Sleep problems occur when your child has difficulty settling down to sleep. It can also include small episodes of sleep or sleep interruptions. The constant night interruption can lead to baby irritation and parental fatigue. When your baby has trouble sleeping, it can be a hard time for the entire family. You can make bedtime less problematic and more enjoyable by learning some healthy sleeping tips.

Your doctor may advise you of the average number of hours of sleep your child needs. Still, every child’s sleeping patterns are different. On average, newborns up to 6 months of age sleep 16 hours a day. Some babies sleep as little as 11 hours and some others sleep as much as 20 hours. Older babies (6 months to 1 year) sleep about 14 hours a day. Toddlers sleep between 10 to 13 hours. Pre-schoolers sleep between 10 to 12 hours.

TYPES OF SLEEPING PROBLEMS

Difficulty settling down to sleep

It is very common for babies, toddlers, and young children to have trouble falling asleep. Up to 1 in 3 children show an unwillingness to go to sleep.

Separation issues and co-sleeping

In many families, parents choose to sleep in the same bed as their babies and small children. The Canadian Paediatric Society does not recommend co-sleeping. Some parents say co-sleeping can help in maintaining regular breastfeedings. But it may disrupt the parents’ sleep, cause tension in the parents’ intimate relationship, or cause your baby to become dependent on you to fall asleep. There is also an association between co-bedding and crib death (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

Night awakening

Night awakenings occur when a child wakes up in the middle of the night and cannot settle back to sleep. Often the child will cry or call out for their parents, or get out of bed. This is common. Many parents allow the child to sleep in the parents’ bed for the rest of the night. This may lead to dependency on the parent to resume sleep. The child should be reassured and brought back to his bed. The child eventually learns self-soothing strategies.

Nightmares

Nightmares are dreams that bring about fear or anxiety. Nightmares are very common. They occur in as many as 1 in 2 children.

 Nightmares are different from nightmares. Night terrors are characterized by the child appearing to waken in horror. The child often screams in panic. Usually, the child does not remember what led to the feelings of fear.

Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking occurs in about 15 percent of all children. It occurs most often in children between the ages of 4 to 12 years. Sleepwalking children usually walk around the house aimlessly. They appear uncoordinated, often do not make sense, or start urinating in some place other than the toilet. A bell hung on the child’s door or on the front door may provide reassurance that you will hear your child sleep-walking.

Healthy sleeping habits

Newborns and young children seem to fall asleep easily when they are held or rocked. Newborns fall asleep very easily when sucking on a nipple or pacifier.

Develop a consistent nap and bed time routine

Children respond well to routine. Your child will likely respond well to a fixed nap and bedtime routine. Naps for toddlers should be no longer than 2 hours and should end before 4 p.m.

Your child’s bedtime will depend on his age and energy levels. Bedtime routines can include:

·         giving a bath

·         putting on pajamas

·         offering a breastfeed or bottle

·         dimming the lights

·         nighttime cuddling, stroking, singing,

·         storytime

Afterward you can put the baby in the crib or the young child in bed. You can kiss the child goodnight and leave the room. Maintaining a consistent bedtime routine will help your child settle down more easily.

Create a welcoming sleeping environment

Keep the room dark and quiet. Nightlights are not recommended. Instead, keep the light on in the hallway with the door ajar. This will allow the child to go to the bathroom without fear of the dark and will allow you to use a closed door as a motivation to get the child back in bed should they begin to use delay tactics to go to bed at night.

Your baby should sleep on her back, toward the bottom of the crib. When they are old enough to roll from front to back there is no need to reposition them. There should be no blankets or crib bumpers or other soft materials that may block a baby’s breathing. They should wear a sleeper that is warm enough to make a blanket unnecessary.

When your child becomes aware of separation at bedtime, you may give him a stuffed animal or blanket to offer a sense of comfort. Do not give such items during early infancy as these may be risk factors for crib death.

Your baby should learn to fall asleep by himself. If he were to wake up and find you gone, the whole process of soothing to sleep may be required several times per night.

React to infant crying when appropriate

Respond to the cries of newborns and babies in their first few months of life. The crying is a way to express a need.

As for 7 or 8 month year old babies, it is entirely normal if they cry prior to falling asleep.

It’s alright to let your baby cry a little before settling down by. If, however, your baby has grown accustomed to having you around when falling asleep, you can try to reduce this dependency by gradually lessening your time in the bedroom. One approach is to lay your child down, leave for a few minutes, return and stay until the child sleeps. Every evening, stay out of the room for a little longer. After about 5 to 7 days your baby will learn to sleep alone.

Recognize your child’s delaying tactics

Once your child understands the bedtime routine, he can manipulate the situation. Toddlers and young children are particularly skillful at prolonging the bedtime routine. They will ask for water, another story, or a cuddle. Parents and caregivers should return the child to bed immediately. Warn the child there will be consequences if the behaviour is repeated. Consequences can include closing the door, or not offering stories at the next bedtime.

Tips for Improving Your Child's Sleep

• Establish a regular time for bed each night and do not vary from it. Similarly, the waking time should not differ from weekday to weekend by more than one to one and a half hours.
• Create a relaxing bedtime  routine, such as giving your child a warm bath or reading a story.
• Do not give children any food or drinks with caffeine  less than six hours before bedtime .
• Make sure the temperature in the bedroom is comfortable and that the bedroom is dark.
• Make sure the noise level in the house is low.
• Avoid giving children large meals close to bedtime .
• Make after-dinner playtime a relaxing time as too much activity close to bedtime can keep children awake.
• There should be no television, computer, mobile phone, radio, or music playing while the child is going to sleep. TV and video games should be turned off at least one hour prior to bedtime.
• Infants and children should be put to bed when they appear tired but still awake (rather than falling asleep in their parent's arms, or in another room). Parents should avoid getting into bed with a child in order to get them to sleep.

HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES

BELLADONNA 30- –Half opened eyes, restless sleep with sudden starts; moaning and screaming during sleep. Grinding, stertorous sleep. Somnolence, sleepy yet cannot sleep. Sleeps with hands under the head.

BENZOICUM ACIDUM 30-  —Starts up. Awakes with breathlessness and palpitation.

BARYTA CARB 30-- –Talks in sleep Twitching. Lies on one side.

CALCAREA CARB 30- —-Screams and cannot be pacified. Nightmares Fearful &fantastic dreams. Snoring.

ARG MET 30 —Restless sleep, anxious frightful dreams, Screams.

CAUSTICUM 30- —-Restless sleep. Starts laughs and cries. Drowsy can hardly keep wakes up. No sensation of passing urine; scarcely believes until he makes sure of sense of touch.

CINA 30-—–Restless during sleep. Lies on abdomen, knee -chest. Talks, cries, screams; wakes frightful. Hangs his head to one side .will not sleep unless rocked.

EQUISETUM  30—Dreams of seeing crowds of people.

FERRUM MET 30— Sleepy: of debility. Restless lies on back. Vivid unpleasant, fell into water.

KALI BROM 30 —Somnambulism starts. Deep sleep, Moans, cries, Grinding. Horrible dreams.

KALI PHOS  30—Night terrors. Somnambulism. Amorous dreams. Restlessness. Wakes up with fright.

KEREOSTEM  30-—Dreams of falling poisoned. Fire, of urination in a descent manner. Wakes with urinating from deep sleep but cannot retain. Restless, Tosses. Would not sleep until caressed &foundled.

LAC CANINUM 30 —She dreams of urination

MERCURIUS  30-—Sleepless of anxiety Restlessness, dreams of water ; thieves, animals .

NATRUM MUR 30 —Somnambulism starts and takes in sleep Dreams of robbers, vivid, frightful, Tosses

PHOSPHORUS  30-—Somnambulism. Dreams of fire lewd, vivid; business she couldn’t finish. Starts in sleep. Lies on right side.

PULSATILA NIG. 30—Lies with hands over head or crossed on abdomen and feet drawn up. Talks, screams. Restless. Tosses. Dreams confused, frightful.

RHUS TOX 30- —Dreams of exertion, fire : blood. Restless; tossing.

SEPIA  30-—Talks loud. Wakes up. Restless. Dreams of urinating anxious.

SILICEA 30- —Somnambulism. Talks loudly, laughs. Dreams of Lascivious; pleasant, murders, restless, wakes up frightened.

SULPHUR 200- —Sleeps in catnaps, talks, jerks and twiches in sleep; wakes up singing vivid dreams

THUJA OCC. 30- —Dreams of death of falling from a height.

TUBERCULINUM 200-—–Dreams of vivid, frightful, restless, Tosses, screams. Awakes in horror.

ZINCUM METALLICUM 30-—Screams, jerks, starts, Somnambulism.