Question
Hi,I hope you can help me. My 39 month old son has a lot of trouble falling asleep some nights (3/7 nights) and no trouble at all the other nights. He often sleeps so lightly the first few hours (on nights he falls asleep quickly and nights he takes longer to get to sleep) that if I make a sound and try to leave the room he will wake up. (even though he was just snoring lightly and has not budged for 10 - 30 minutes) However, if I leave the room a hour or less before he wakes up in the morning he does not budge, even if the rest of the family is making noise. Then, when it is time to wake him up it is somewhat difficult. A touch on the cheek, rubbing his feet, removing blankets, calling his name and "good morning" and he stays asleep or just rolls over and goes back to sleep. If only this would happen when he goes to bed!!!! I leave about 10-12 hours for him to sleep at night and he naps about once a week (1 - 1 1/2 hours) when he is feeling well. I have been reading that the deepest part of sleep generally occurs in the first 1 - 4 hours of sleep with progressively lighter sleep cycles until morning. My observations suggest that he is doing the opposite of this pattern and seems to be in his deepest sleep just before waking. What do you think it could be and should I see a specialist? What questions would I ask them?
Thanks for your support.
Answer
You should consult a sleep specialist especially since you notice him snoring. For starters though you should try first of all 3 hours before sleep stay away from chocolate, and any caramel colored soda like coke, pepsi, ginger ale, root beer all these will cause less deeper sleep. Make sure you do not have him sleep on his stomach, if he is only napping once a week , he is not getting enough sleep only10-12 hours. I wouuld consult my pediatrician for possible a sleep consult, your local hospital can refer you to a sleep center. Also go to sleepnet.com click on pediatric sleep disorders, while I am not that familiar in children as in adults, anytime one notices a disruptive sleep problem and persistant in children it should be looked into. Also you should not let him nap after 3pm as this lapses over into a childs nightttime sleep which is also a reason for his light sleep. So you might try these tips first.sleep net also has forums you can post a question also go to talk about sleep.com they have a weekly on line chat sessions with sleep experts where you can post a question to the doctor. feel free to email again karel
