28 May Sleeping Problems

Children with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as ADHD, and specific learning disorders, such as dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia, commonly have problems sleeping. These can be problems getting to sleep, problems staying asleep, and problems with the quality of sleep. Sometimes these problems can be improved by addressing sleep hygiene (such as no screens before bedtime), but sometimes children need help addressing underlying anxiety – either directly around going to sleep, or anxiety about events that happened during the day or anticipation anxiety about the following day. Less commonly, there are disorders which disrupt the quality of sleep, including snoring, low iron levels and epilepsy. Poor sleep worsens a child’s ability to pay attention and to concentrate the next day in school, which makes learning even harder. For some kids, being overtired the next night can paradoxically worsen their problems getting to sleep. If your child is consistently having trouble sleeping, it’s important to get help by talking to their GP, paediatrician or psychologist.