Sleep Challenges

Dreaming can become a challenge to children because the dreams children have can be very vivid to the point where they are indistinguishable from real life.

Between 2 to 6 years of age children start to become aware of dreaming. These dreams can be very vivid and alarming. This is also the stage when night terrors, nightmares and night fears are most common. Dreaming is a normal part of development but if your child has frequent sleep disturbance as part of this stage of development, then it can be very difficult for the family as a whole to cope. On average, a quarter of all children may have one nightmare a week.

Nightmares are frightening dreams which occur during REM sleep that usually result in night waking. These nightmares may include monsters and other frightening imaginary creatures. The child may be afraid to return to sleep, young children may have difficulty in distinguishing between a dream and reality and may insist that the imagined monster still exists nearby. If these scary events persist then the child may resist going to bed and may also become fearful in the daytime. These events are often remembered in the daytime and, for some children, the opportunity to discuss them can be helpful. However, if your child does not want to, or cannot talk about this don't press.

There are a variety of strategies available to help children and parents cope with these events.

Night terrors are also frightening but usually forgotten by morning. A child experiencing night terrors will not be comforted. They appear to wake suddenly and are fearful but, although their eyes are open, they are often still asleep. Trying to comfort them at this stage is more about feeling that you are caring and doing something, the child is unaware of you and doesn't accept cuddles or reassurances. The return to calm sleep is usually quite quick. A child who has not napped well, is over tired, or has had a frightening experience during the day is more likely to have night terrors as their mind tries to rationalize the fright.

If you need help to help your child cope with these events;- Contact us, info@Dream-Angus.com

Daytime Sleep or, Napping.

I am often told by parents that their baby does not sleep at all in the daytime. When I ask more questions it usually transpires that the infant does nap, but only under certain circumstances and only for very short periods.

This is can happen for one or more of these reasons;-

1) The parent does not recognise their child's "sleepy signals", so the infant is not given an opportunity to sleep.
2) When the signals are noted it takes too long to get baby settled so the infant goes from tired to second wind, or even to a state of hyper alertness, when there is no way this child will sleep.
3) Over stimulation results in a fretful baby who cannot settle.
4) The need to be held/rocked/patted/stroked or pushed in a stroller in order to achieve sleep.

What are "sleepy signals"?
Babies need sleep when they persistently yawn, rub their faces or pull their ears, close their eyes, or simply start to fuss. When you notice one or more of these sleepy signals you have a small window of opportunity to  get your child to nap successfully.

If your child does not settle within 15 to 20 minutes, and they start to wake fully, abandon this nap time and look for the next time these sleepy signs appear.

The other way to deal with this is to observe how long your child is "happily awake". As a newborn the "happily awake" period is usually long enough to be fed and changed, have a cuddle and then they are done. At 3-4 months a child may be happily awake and interacting for anywhere between an hour and an hour and three quarters. At the end of this period they need to rest and sleep. Knowing this can help you to develop a good routine.

What overstimulates a child?
All children need interaction with people. Plonking an infant on front of a television is not positive interaction. The television is fast changing and the short links are too fast for baby to follow. The changing light patterns which seem to attract them, are too speedy to follow, and tend to over excite the eyes and brain.

Lots of interaction with parents and adults, where the child is expected to take in a lot of handling and exchange can also be just too much. One to one is best to begin with. Any sounds which have big variations in volume and pitch can also be just too much, particularly if they continue for a long time.

Your child's favourite toy is a parent. Someone who will offer soothing conversations both verbal and non verbal. Until the infant can get their eyes to work together, (usually at about 2/3 months), it is difficult to focus for long periods. Strong contrasts are appealing because they are easier to see. Black on white, red on white for example.

Until the age of 2 or 3 years, every child needs some daytime sleep. The amount of sleep in the daytime depends on the age and stage of the child. Even a 4 year old who has had a busy day may opt to have a down time during which they will fall asleep for a short period.

To feel refreshed after a short sleep, it is usually necessary to have two complete sleep cycles. Infants will take a minimum of 45 minutes to an hour to achieve this, as they get older an hour and a half is a good nap, a two hour sleep is even better but a 15 to 20 minute sleep is too short to be useful.

There are a probably as many ways to achieve a good nap as there are babies. Each infant has one or more things which will help them to sleep. Once these have been identified they become useful tools in encouraging your little one to settle.

If you would like help to achieve good naps,  Contact us ;-info@Dream-Angus.com

What should we expect of a newborn sleep pattern?

Expectations of newborn babies sleep patterns are often very high. For some reason as a society we seem to expect babies to spend a lot of time lying still and quiet, sleeping. While many babies will spend 16 to 18 hours of a 24 hour day asleep this is not true of every infant.

Your baby's sleep is affected by four main things;-

1) What was your, and your partner's sleep pattern BC (Before Children)?
2) The learned experiences your baby has around sleep.
3) Baby's own body clock.
4) The sleep environment.

We know that some sleep difficulties have a genetic component. Narcolepsy is perhaps the difficulty most commonly linked to genetic make up. If you, and your partner had a similar sleep pattern the chances are that baby will follow that pattern to some extent. If one of the parents has had difficulties getting to sleep it is possible that baby may demonstrate this. This does not mean that this cannot be improved upon. Perhaps if all children developed good sleep patterns there would be fewer adults with sleep difficulties.

Newborns have very little experience of life in the world. Consequently it takes them a few weeks to learn the differences between night and day. We know from studies, that by 60 days of life, before there is even a true feeding pattern, babies have mastered the basics of night and day.

Initially an infant which requires feeding every 2.5 to 3 hours will manage a maximum of 5 hours uninterrupted sleep through the night. This is not true of every child but is an accepted "rule of thumb". As baby manages to go to a 4 hourly feeding regimen this night sleep extends to about 6/7 hours. Most children are able to sleep through the night by between 6 to nine months of age.

After 9 months infants should not physically require feeding through the night. They may have learned that the best/easiest way to get to sleep is while nursing. That is a learned behavior, as adults we generally do not wake and need to eat through the night. If an infant is taking good feeds through the day, by 9 months the physical requirement for night feeds should be eliminated.

What does your child believe they need to help them get to sleep?

If you would like help to improve your child's sleep pattern, contact us on info@dream-angus.com

The Golden Rules in achieving a good night sleep.

These are the "golden rules" which, if observed, will help ensure a good night's sleep.

1)  Be sure your child's room is quiet and dark.
2) Keep environmental noise to a minimum, no loud TVs.
3) If your child still needs a nap, schedule that nap for early afternoon, before 3pm.
4) Wake your child at a regular time every morning. This will strengthen the circadian rhythm.
5) Avoid drinks of tea, cola and drinks containing caffeine before bedtime.
6) Quiet play in the hour before bed is better than stimulating, exciting play.
7) Keep the room at a comfortable temperature. If the room is too warm sleep may be disturbed.
8) Use a short pre bed routine that your child will recognize and stick to it.
9) Make sure that your child does not go to bed hungry, but do not give children over 6 months feeds or drinks through the night.
10) Help your child to fall asleep without your presence. Use a favorite toy or blanket and put your child to bed while he/she is drowsy but still awake.

You may find you are already doing some of these things, or all of them. If your child is still having difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep contact us on Info@ Dream-Angus.com we can help you to help your child.

Naps (daytime Sleep)

Children need to have regular daytime naps.  When night sleep is disturbed some parents think that removing a nap time will increase night sleep. Unfortunately this is far from the case. 
If daytime naps are reduced the child becomes too tired to settle properly at night so night waking may become more frequent.

Daytime sleep opportunities should be offered in a safe room in natural daylight. Ensuring that the sun is not directly shining on the child is helpful but the room should not need to be darkened unless it is very bright. Normal background household noise is helpful because it is reassuring to the child. It reflects that there are people present and the child is not alone. Learning to be comfortable in their own space is a valuable lesson which instills confidence in being able to cope with some time alone.

Depending on the age and stage of the child, they will manage to be "happily awake" for a period of time. At the end of this time children demonstrate sleepy signals. This can be yawning, closing eyes, rubbing face with hands or on the carer if the child is being held. There is a small window of opportunity, from noting these expressions of tiredness, to achieving a  successful nap. If you can settle your child within 10/15 minutes of noting these signals the chances are the child will nap successfully.

Working on improving daytime naps is easier on parents who are more awake and more patient during the day, and has a knock on effect of improving the child's night sleep, which is easier for parents too.

By 3 years of age one single 1 hour nap is enough and by 4 years most children no longer require naps. As daytime naps reduce night sleep should be slightly longer and eventually even out at 10-11.5 hours.

If you need help to resolve your child's sleep issues, Contact Dream-Angus.com

Coping with twice yearly clock changes

Most of us experience no problems when the clock goes back an hour or forward an hour in spring and autumn.
Unfortunately there are some individuals who find this a very difficult experience. They find that their sleep pattern is disturbed by this event for a good few weeks. This leaves these individuals struggling with all the associated symptoms of sleep deficit, and makes life for the other family members much more difficult. However, with a little planning these difficulties can be avoided.

If you know how long it takes to "recover" from the clock change then you can anticipate and plan a strategy that will avoid the process of sleep deficit and sleep disturbances. These clock changes occur at pre set calender dates. If you know, for example, that it will take three weeks to catch up with this change, then you can avoid the problems altogether by simply dividing the 60 minute change into 3 segments of 20 minutes.

Three weeks before the clock changes start to adjust pre bedtime routine by a few minutes so that by the end of the first week a 20 minute delay in bedtime routine (or an earlier start to this routine) is accepted.
Continue this over the following three weeks, and by the time the clock has moved, the brain and body will be in sync with this altered sleep/wake time.

This can be further enhanced by altering the supper snack before bed to ensure that it is rich in the chemicals which encourage the release of sleep hormones. The precursor to the release of Melatonin, the sleep hormone, is Tryptophan.

Tryptophan is a natural amino acid found in foods like turkey, chickpeas and a variety of other foods. Tryptophan is required to make Melatonin, the sleep hormone and to act as a precursor for Serotonin.

Serotonin levels affect our mood. Patients who suffer from depression may be given drugs which modify the uptake of this chemical.

Foods that help in serotonin production are foods high in B-vitamins, foods like brown rice, eggs, organic chicken, corn, green leafy veggies, legumes, nuts, peas, and sunflower seeds.

If you would like further advice about sleep disorders  
Contact us on;- info@Dream-Angus.com

Did you know? Comforters/Dummies

Parents who have "given in" and offered their child a dummy/comforter, often feel guilty when they try to discourage the soothing habit which they offered their child. Well, here are some good reasons why you should discourage the use of this "soothing" equipment;-

1) Toddlers using dummies/comforters, are 3 times more likely to develop ear infections.

2) 50% of all children using them are sent for Speech and Language therapy.

3) Children who use dummies/comforters tend to speak from the back of their mouths so the "t" sound becomes "k"

4) Children who use dummies/comforters often do not try to chat to other children as readily as those who don't use them.

5)  Sucking a comforter/dummy can lead to overcrowding of the front teeth even when the said object is supposed to be "orthodontic".


For parents who have discovered that their child is more easily quieted and soothed by sucking on a comforter/dummy, you may find it helpful to know that you can limit their use by;-

1) Only allow the child to suck until they are calm. Once the child is calm remove the comforter.

2) Do not allow your child to fall asleep sucking this.Particularly if you have a small baby who sucks as a soothing mechanism. If the comforter falls out, baby wakes and needs this replaced. Better to learn to soothe themselves without it.

3) Use a big event, birthday/Christmas, to tell your child you know that they are now big enough not to need this anymore. Make an event of removing all comforters from your home. Reward this progress with a treat. Time one to one doing something fun, a magazine or a special toy.

Toddlers won't be keen to stop using a comforter, so prepare yourself by choosing a time when you have plenty of support. Tell other carers so that they can support you and your child. Prepare yourself for protest, and decide in advance what you will do, when you are faced with it.