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My Son Hates Sleeping

by Angelica

My son is 4 years old and he HATES sleeping. He couldn't express it any more to me and his dad.


Ever since he was a newborn waking up every 30 mins to eat. As he got older he would take short naps of 30mins, then the naps STOPPED when he turned 2 and he would have issues on sleeping.

Now this is a concern to me because not only is he not wanting to take naps but now he doesn't want to sleep at night. I would give him his bath then I would tell him a "night night story" and read to him and NOTHING he is still wide awake.

There are times when he is "acting" like he is sleeping so I fall asleep and then the next morning his dad tells me, "the baby woke up shortly after you fell asleep". This is still continuing and he just turned 4.

Our child could stay up until 3am until he starts to get tired. He has so much energy it is ridiculous i mean he tells me mom i hate sleeping, I don't want to sleep, i have nightmares when i sleep, he even asked me mom is it going to be dark out soon, because he knows it will soon be time to go sleep!

I have noticed when he finally goes to sleep he sometimes whines in his sleep, he has accidents almost every night, he stops breathing for a short period of time then moves around
and snores and talks in his sleep. I just want my son to SLEEP and be well rested it is not ok for such a young child to be having sleep patterns like a young college person. Please provide any ideas.


Kevin: Hi Angelica, Thank you for sharing your story of your son. Your last paragraph indicates that he is suffering from sleep apnea. It is fairly common in children, and needs to be dealt with immediately so that it does not take a toll on his development by fragmenting his deep sleep. Sometimes large tonsils are the culprit for preventing a child with sleep apnea from breathing well at night. Checking with your doctor about sleep apnea as soon as you can would be a good idea.

The sleep apnea is also likely causing his bedwetting, as the interruptions in his breathing cause his urinary system to think he is not asleep. As a result, the urinary system thinks it should still produce as much urine as it does in the day time. Fix the sleep apnea and you'll probably also fix his bedwetting.

It may also help him sleep more continuously through the night, and perhaps that will lead to him enjoying sleep more.

Good luck, and feel free to update this page with his progress using the comments section below.

Warmly,
Kevin


(Please keep in mind that I am a student of sleep science and not a medical doctor. Please take any thoughts I give with my background in mind.)

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