Walking in a dream is a frightening phenomenon for others. And yet it is normal for children.
It is also known that this phenomenon occurs mainly in preschoolers and children of primary school age, and over time it goes away by itself, without intervention and treatment. About 15% of children walk in their sleep.
If any of the adults in the family had a similar sleep disorder at one time, then the child will almost certainly have it.
Possible causes of sleepwalking:
- heredity;
- full bladder;
- stress;
- noise;
- inflammation of the tonsils or adenoids;
- some medications.
How does sleepwalking manifest?
In a dream, a child can not only walk, but also start doing something: getting dressed, sitting at the dinner table, trying to go to the toilet, etc. In this case, the eyes can be either open or closed.
The child may even say something, but at the same time the speech is often meaningless, and he does not hear your remarks. In the morning, the baby will no longer remember his adventures.
Sleepwalking usually occurs in the first hours after sleep and once a night. It is not worth waking up a child in such a state - he will be very disoriented, which will cause additional stress.
Tips for parents of sleepwalking children:
1. Lock your front door with a key
If the door is closed with a latch, which is easy to turn by hand, then in a state of sleepwalking a child can easily do this.
There are cases when people not only left the house in a sleeping state, but even got into a car and drove without waking up. But these were, of course, adults.2. Don't laugh or reproach
Whatever the child does or says in a state of sleepwalking, remember that he cannot control it. The more attention you draw to this condition, the more stress the child will be, which can further provoke sleep-walking.
It is simply pointless to reproach that the child does not depend on it. And laughing at such a helpless state is low.
3. Act on warning
If the child walks in his sleep every night, watch what time it happens. If at the same time, then try to gently wake up the baby about 15 minutes before and put him to bed again.
4. Make your child's environment safe
Move anything glassy, sharp, or potentially dangerous. If the child sleeps in a bunk bed, move him to the first bunk.
5. Minimize possible causes
Make sure that the child does not drink for some time before bed and goes to bed with an empty bladder. Try to protect him from stress, give him a little more opportunities to rest, get enough sleep.6. Contact a specialist
If the child walks in a dream often and for a long period, and it is not possible to eliminate the cause of this, it may be necessary to consult a pediatrician and a child psychologist.
You will also be interested to read:
- How to overcome a child's sleep crisis
- Do I need to wake up a newborn to feed
- The child flinches during sleep - when to worry
