Sleep Problems
at bedtime or with falling or staying asleep
Effects of Poor Sleep
When your child isn’t sleeping well, the effects are usually felt by the whole family. Without the recommended amount of sleep for your child’s age group (see the expert consensus recommendations in the table below), your child may have:
- Daytime Fatigue: feeling groggy, drowsy, or exhausted during the day
- Behavioral Problems: mood swings, irritability, crankiness, or hyperactivity
- Concentration Difficulties: struggles to focus or pay attention (sometimes to the degree that it mimics ADHD)
- Unhealthy Eating: overeating junk food and in general
| Age Group | Recommended Hours per Day |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant (4‑12 months) |
12 | ‑ | 16 |
| Toddler (1‑2 years) |
11 | ‑ | 14 |
| Preschool (3‑5 years) |
10 | ‑ | 13 |
| School Age (6‑12 years) |
9 | ‑ | 12 |
| Teens (13‑18 years) |
8 | ‑ | 10 |
| Adults (18+ years) |
7 or more | ||
Is This Just a Phase, or Is It Insomnia?
Naturally, the sleep disruptions your child is experiencing can strain everyone else in the family and derail what might otherwise be a smoother daily routine. Children can, of course, have short-term sleep disturbances that resolve on their own, but you should consider whether your child may have insomnia if any of the following sleep problems persist for a few months:
- difficulty falling asleep independently (without your help)
- trouble staying asleep or getting back to sleep on their own
- waking up too early (and being unable to get back to sleep)
- resisting bedtime (e.g., refusing or repeatedly delaying going to bed)
Moving Past Your New “Reality”
Many parents literally lose sleep over all of this and may adapt to these struggles as their new “reality,” not realizing that their child’s insomnia is an important health issue that warrants healthcare intervention. You might also feel torn between the need for sleep improvements and your values regarding co-sleeping or attachment parenting. Too many parents get the wrong message from the “parenting advice” world and blame themselves (or their parenting practices).
Childhood Insomnia is Treatable
Fortunately, behavioral treatment (without medications) is strongly supported by research and “should be the first treatment option for healthy children who struggle with bedtime resistance or nighttime awakenings” (American Academy of Sleep Medicine). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is considered the gold standard and can be tailored to your child’s specific needs. Furthermore, if your child is showing symptoms that resemble ADHD, depression, or other diagnoses, treating the insomnia early can be crucial for getting clarity on your child’s diagnosis.