Medical professionals know there is a strong link between a child’s sleep and mental health. Children who do not get enough sleep often suffer from conditions like anxiety or panic attacks. While the best over-the-counter meds for ADHD child can help reduce the symptoms, the best remedy is often improved sleep.
Parents need to ensure their child has a proper sleep schedule. The schedule should provide enough hours for adequate sleep.
Children will stay awake until their bodies force them to sleep if allowed. Reaching a point of exhaustion is unhealthy, and more often than not, it results in a child getting less sleep than necessary. If a parent is worried their little one is not getting enough sleep, they should look for several warning signs.
1. Loss of Focus
When the body doesn’t get enough sleep, the brain finds it hard to focus. A child will struggle in school and might even show difficulties carrying on simple conversations or following simple instructions.
If a parent notices a child is not as focused as they once were, they need to get to the bottom of the issue. If the little one is not sleeping well, the parents must figure out why. A doctor can help with a diagnosis if the parents cannot find any obvious causes.
2. Irritability and Anxiety
Prolonged periods of poor sleep can result in more significant problems. For example, when children are not well-rested, they can become irritable, which can lead to lashing out at peers, or it can cause stress and anxiety.
Many children with ADHD scared of the dark. Sometimes helping a child sleep better is as simple as plugging in a night light. However, if a fear of the darkness only seems to be a part of the problem, parents might need professional help determining how to help their child.
3. Self Harm
Recent studies indicate there is a link between sleep problems and self-harm. The relationship is also independent of a psychiatric diagnosis, meaning there may be no other link than a lack of proper sleep.
As teenage years represent significant hormonal changes, parents need to get to the bottom of their child’s sleep problems before puberty and other changes exacerbate it. Parents do not need to determine the underlying cause on their own. Doctors can run tests to determine if there is anything physical disrupting normal sleep patterns. If tests results are normal or inconclusive, parents can take their little ones to talk therapy.
Sleep is paramount to mental health. A routine lack of sleep can lead to several adverse symptoms, including anxiety and self-harm. While natural remedies for anxiety in teenage girl or boys can help if a panic disorder is the underlying cause of poor sleep, anxiety and stress can also result from sleep problems.
Diagnosing sleep issues may be simple for really little ones, but as children get older, they tend to hide things from their parents. If a parent wants to help their child, they should consult a doctor or psychiatrist to find out what they can do.
Collaborative post. Image via unsplash.