Insomnia

Insomnia is defined as a difficulty falling asleep, and/or maintaining sleep and includes early morning awakenings. In many cases this is secondary to another sleep or medical disorder. In contrast Primary Insomnia is accompanied by learned sleep preventing or delaying assocciations and physiological arousal resulting in complaints of sleeplessness and decreased daytime functioning.

To date no studies have been done to look at how often this occurs in children of school age or in adolescents. About 12-13% of adolescents report that they are poor sleepers. This appears to be slightly more common in women than in men. Although there are a number of theories about the causes of insomnia no conclusive evidence supports any particular theory.

It is widely recognised that genetics may play a part and that stress, obsessive thinking styles, poor sleep habits and caffine intake, exacerbate the problem.

Difficulties in falling asleep can be related to medical problems such as asthma, allergies, headaches and physical discomfort. Some medications cause insomnia as a side effect.

Fortunately there are a variety of treatments which are effective without resorting to medication. Research has not been conducted on the long term outcome of insomnia in children and adolescents but certain personality traits make it likely that affected individuals are more likely to experience recurrant problems. The learned nature of this disorder makes it more likely to persist if it is not treated.

If you think this applies to your children contact Dream-Angus for support and advice.