There are two kinds of sleep disorders in children. They are either behavioral problems or problems in which there is abnormal polysomnography. Polysomnography refers to tests performed during sleep on a patient with sleep problems. These problems include sleepwalking or sleep talking, narcolepsy, night terrors, sleep apnea and bedwetting. These problems should be brought to the attention of a physician.

Behavioral Sleep Disorders in Children

It is more common, however, that sleep problems in children are caused by behavioral problems. These problems include frequent awakenings during the night, refusing to go to bed, and refusal to stay in bed. These problems can be addressed without medical intervention.

At about three-four months of age, parents can begin to train their child to sleep through the night. This can be done through scheduled awakenings a few minutes before an anticipated awakening. Gradually lengthening the time between the awakenings should lead to the child sleeping through the night. For older children who have established bad sleep habits, other methods may be used.

It is important to set gentle but firm limits with a child surrounding the bedtime issue. One way to do this is to establish a hard and fast bedtime routine. This might include a story, a glass of water, and a back rub or similar activities. Children must be settled down at night and not stimulated. For that reason, a soothing sound machine is a better option than a video at night. For children who continually get out of bed, some parents have found that bargaining with a child to leave a light on or the door open is effective. If the child gets out of bed, the light will be turned off or the door closed until the child returns to bed.