As quiet peaceful sleep is a sign of perfect health. Disorders of sleep may be produced by almost anything which is wrong with the child. There may be physical discomfort from cold feet, insufficient or too much clothing, interference with breathing, improper Feeding or nervous constitution.
Improper Feeding
Habitual disturbance of sleep in infants is most frequently associated with the food or feeding. It may be from the discomfort of chronic indigestion due to improper food. In bottle-fed infants it is often the result of overfeeding and in those who are nursed it is often due to hunger. A common cause is frequent night feeding. An infant who is fed three or four times during the night is almost invariably a bad sleeper.
Nervous Constitution
Children who inherit from their parents a nervous constitution are especially likely to suffer disturbed sleep. Bad habits acquired by faulty training also cause disturbed sleep. Excitement just before bedtime and fears aroused by pictures or stories also causes disturbed sleep.
Interference with breathing
Interference with breathing due to obstruction from large tonsils or adenoids. These cause great restlessness and lead a child to assume many different postures during sleep, often lying upon the face or upon the hands and knees.
Chronic pains
Chronic pains or frequently recurring night pains may be causes of disordered sleep. Thus, a child wakes with a sudden sharp cry. In infants this is most often due to scurvy, sometimes to syphilis. In older children it may be the earliest symptom of disease of the hip or spine.
Sleeplessness and disturbed sleep are frequent whenever the general condition falls much below a healthy standard such as infants who are not thriving.
