Why is it difficult for children to sleep at night?

In the first years of life, sleep plays a very important role in the physical and intellectual development of children. Children who have difficulty falling asleep, often crying will negatively affect the health and rhythm of life of the whole family.

The average newborn sleeps about 18-20 hours a day, sleeps most of the day and night, and usually only wakes up when hungry. However, not all babies sleep straight until morning, many children experience sleep disorders such as: Children having difficulty in falling asleep at night, not sleeping deeply, or crying, easily startled .. . may have a negative effect on the child's development later on. If this condition lasts for a long time, it can reduce memory, reduce learning ability, and even lead to behavioral and emotional disorders when children grow up.
The body's natural cycle of wakefulness and sleep is called the circadian rhythm (circadian clock). Sleep episodes are demarcated by daylight and darkness at night. Children begin to have a circadian rhythm around 6 weeks of age, parents should pay close attention to this rhythm and talk to a doctor if they see any of the following symptoms:
The baby wakes up abnormally (seizures) themselves, crying, screaming...); Children with breathing problems; Children snore, especially loud snoring; Children have difficulty falling asleep and cannot maintain sleep; Children often feel sleepy during the day.

Children having difficulty falling asleep at night can be caused by many different reasons. Here are some of the main causes of sleep problems in babies:
2.1. Physiological causes of sleep According to studies, sleep is divided into 2 stages:
Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep: In this stage, the baby's breathing and heart rate are faster because of the brain. and the respiratory organs increase activity even when the baby is sleeping. Non Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep. For adults, the NREM stage accounts for 75% of the total sleep time, the remaining 25% is the REM phase. Meanwhile, with infants, these two stages are almost equivalent. Therefore, in the REM stage, children often have difficulty falling asleep and are easily startled awake when there is an external impact.
Besides, babies have difficulty falling asleep at night because they are fed too full or not enough. As children get older, crawling, and walking, they tend to be more active during the day, which can also make it harder for them to fall asleep.
2.2. Pathological causes In many cases, children having trouble sleeping can be a warning sign of some of the following diseases:
Micronutrient deficiency: Lack of nutrients such as magnesium, zinc, iron... rickets, restless legs syndrome often tired in children. As a result, children have difficulty falling asleep, not sleeping deeply, often falling asleep during the day and having difficulty sleeping at night. In particular, lack of vitamin D and calcium is also considered as one of the leading causes of children having difficulty falling asleep; Respiratory tract infections: Because the child's resistance is still weak, it is difficult to resist the invasion of bacteria, so the child is very susceptible to respiratory infections and some diseases such as rhinitis, bronchitis, tonsillitis. , pneumonia... When suffering from one of the above diseases, infants often have difficulty breathing, wheezing or breathing through the mouth, snoring... and if prolonged, it will make the child difficult to sleep, or fuss cry; Obesity: Being overweight or obese can cause a child's airways to become enlarged, making it difficult to breathe. Most children have to breathe through their mouth, so it is very difficult to fall asleep, wake up easily and often cry at night; Sleepwalking: Characterized by this condition is that children often have nightmares, easily wake up to talk, move their arms and legs while still sleeping. This type of sleep disorder makes children often twist, sleep not deeply and easily scared; Besides, there are other more objective reasons that make it difficult for children to fall asleep that parents can refer to:
Due to wet diapers and diapers; bedding and clothes that are not clean make children itchy and uncomfortable; Noisy surroundings, loud music... easy to startle children awake; The lighting in the bedroom is too bright or not suitable for children; Room temperature that is too hot or too cold can also make it difficult for a baby to sleep; Children who have slept a lot during the day are more likely to have trouble sleeping at night; Children who suckle less, are not full, easily become hungry quickly. Therefore, children often do not sleep deeply and often wake up to ask for breast milk; Children are used to being held or given a hammock when sleeping. Therefore, if you are not held or not in a cradle, it will be difficult to fall asleep and cry.

After finding out why children have trouble falling asleep at night from a scientific perspective, parents can take some measures to help children fall asleep easier:
3.1. Observe the child's signs of wanting to sleep If the child stays awake for too long, the body will be tired and it will be more difficult to fall asleep. Therefore, parents should recognize the signs of sleepiness of the child such as: Pulling the ears, yawning, half-closed eyes, blinking continuously, bending over... and quickly put the baby into the bed, cradle and gently lull it;
3.2. Train children to distinguish between day and night Right from the time they were in the mother's womb, many children have had the habit of staying up at night and this habit has remained unchanged since birth. Although it is late, many children are still crying and do not want to sleep, making the mother very tired.
To overcome this situation, parents avoid letting children sleep too much during the day. If the child is still awake, spend time playing with them as much as possible. When breastfeeding, the mother should also talk and sing to the baby. Before bedtime, keep the baby clean, wear loose and airy clothes, and drink enough before sleeping so that the baby does not wake up because of hunger. At the same time, keep the space quiet and adjust the appropriate lighting to make it easier for the baby to sleep.
3.3. Teaching babies how to sleep on their own Parents can refer to methods to help babies sleep well on their own such as: "Pick up and put them down" (PUPD). To do this, when the baby is sleepy, the mother can hold the baby and whisper gentle words, when the baby falls asleep, put the baby down on the bed. Avoid not creating a bad habit of letting your baby sleep completely in your arms, then put them down or put the hammock, shake the cradle when the baby sleeps.
Children who have trouble sleeping, often crying in the middle of the night, will turn the family life upside down. But if you know how to train children to sleep well and on time, they will no longer cry or wake up in the middle of the night. Besides, parents also need to pay attention to the medical causes for timely intervention and treatment. If the child still has sleep disturbances or shows unusual signs, the child should be taken to a pediatric hospital for timely examination and treatment.

Currently, the Pediatrics Department at Vinmec International General Hospital is trusted by many parents to examine the diseases that infants and young children are susceptible to. Vinmec brings satisfaction to customers and is highly appreciated by industry experts by:
Gathering a team of leading pediatricians: including leading experts with high professional qualifications ( professor, associate professor, doctorate, master), experienced, worked at major hospitals such as Bach Mai, 108... The doctors are well-trained, professional, conscientious - understanding and understanding young psychology. Besides domestic pediatricians, the Department of Pediatrics also has the participation of foreign experts (Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA) who are always pioneers in applying the latest and most effective treatment regimens. . Comprehensive services: In the field of Pediatrics, Vinmec provides a series of continuous medical examination and treatment services from Newborn to Pediatric and Vaccine,... according to international standards to help parents take care of their baby's health from birth to childhood. upon reaching adulthood. Advanced techniques: Vinmec has successfully deployed many specialized techniques to make the treatment of difficult diseases in Pediatrics more effective: neurosurgery - skull surgery, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in cancer treatment. Professional care: In addition to understanding children's psychology, Vinmec also pays special attention to the children's play space, helping them to play comfortably and get used to the hospital's environment, cooperate in treatment, improve the efficiency of medical treatment.