This is such a common experience
that we think it's normal and most times accept it as a part of parenting. But
there is something that can be done about it.
In order to make an effective and safe shift
from being sleep deprived to sleep fulfilled, you need to understand the cause
or contributing factors affecting sleep. Knowing the cause or contributing factors,
will give clear indications on how to address the situation and obtain the
desired results.
Possible causes of sleep challenges that I have seen
include:
•
External influences
o
Light (This may be not enough natural light
during the day or too much artificial light through the night. There are light
receptors on all our skin cells and these affect the cycle of hormones which
affect our sleep.)
o
Activity (Often children's sleep these days
would benefit from more outdoor active play. Sometimes, however, it is related
to too much activity in the evening rather than quiet activities before
bedtime.
o
Electromagnetic frequencies (This may be from a
router, computers, other electronics. Sleep challenge from EMF's are easily
determined by prompt improvement following elimination of the offender.
o
daytime or before bedtime visual or auditory
stimuli (This may be from evening TV, radio, or video games exposure, or even
from challenging dialogue. Clearly, this may become an emotional trigger. Otherwise,
it may be useful to experiment with variations of exposure to stimuli before
sleeping, aiming for the most heart- warming type comfortably possible.)
o
Active or disturbed digestion (This is from
eating foods that don't agree or eating much too close to bedtime. Consider and
experiment with nutrition and times of eating to determine if this is the
cause.)
o
A bang on the head two to three days previous to
the onset of the symptoms (This type of sleep challenge is generally, but not
always, characterized by initial restlessness falling asleep with waking at
4AM. Some investigation may be required to determine if there was such a bang
as parents are not always privy to such information! If this is the case, do
make an acute booking and that challenge should be gone within two nights.)
·
Internal experience
o
Emotional (This may result from an unprocessed
emotional experience. Nightmares are sometimes related to a fear event. A clue
to this being the case is if the nightmares started after a certain event,
often a couple of nights after. As parents, we may or may not be aware of a
causal event without some investigation.
o
Family dynamic (This is probably the most
challenging one to figure out on your own because as parents it can be too hard
to see the forest through the trees, in addition to the fact that it requires
some training to perceive. An example of this may be where a child has restless
sleep which is reflective of a parent who is challenged by emotional processing
of some sort. It may also be seen where a child wishes to see his or her parents
together and this only time this is possible is at night.
o
Constitutional response to external influence or
internal experience (This is another area which is more easily determined by a
Homeopath as it is specifically related to Homeopathic diagnosis. Basically,
there are several main remedies which fit both children and sleeplessness. Some
of them are Pulsatilla, Phosphorus, Calcarea-carbonica. And Sulphur. Find more
information here about Homeopathics and sleep in general.
o
inherited predisposition (to be considered
especially if similar sleep challenges are known in other members of the
family)
Needless to say, the external experience factors are
generally in your hands. Use them and be well! If you are dealing more with the
internal experience factors, that is what professional help is for. Most health
care professionals have chosen the profession because of challenges they faced
and overcame a certain way. This is my case as well. My first child kept me up
for weeks until I was finally able to ascertain the true cause (family dynamic,
the most challenging one), and address it headon. May you be empowered to
surmount all the challenges in your life. And a good night's sleep will
certainly help!
Family Dynamics:
One way to know which one or more of these applies to you?
Describe what you observe in your child. Note when was the first time,and
subsequent times, you noticed what you described. Consider the possible causes
listed above in terms of the times indicated.
Description of sleep concern
|
Possible Causes
|
Treatment
|
Doesn't fall asleep easily
|
Physical discomfort (too much light, noise,
electromagnetic frequencies from router or other electronic nearby, active digestion
or disturbed digestion), Emotional upset, Banged head 23 days earlier
|
|
Needs to be held until they fall asleep
|
Constitutional, emotional
|
|
Can’t sleep alone
|
Constitutional
|
|
Can't sleep without the light on
|
Fear event 23 days before onset
|
|
Doesn't want to sleep
|
Constitutional or emotional
|
|
Falls asleep but wakes up screaming
|
Fear event 23 days before onset
|
|
Moves around a lot
|
|
|
Can't wake up in morning
|
Constitutional
|
|
Wakes up way too early
|
Bang to head 23 days before onset
|
|
An open-minded, observant and educated parent can do this,
possibly more successfully with the following information.
Written by: Lisa Torres HOM.
