How do nightmares affect my child’s sleep?
Dr. Ramagopal:
Nightmares can disrupt your child’s sleep, causing them to wake up feeling anxious and fearful. It may be difficult for them to fall back asleep, leaving them poorly rested for the next day. Nightmares typically occur in the early morning hours, during REM sleep. Though nightmares are common in young children, only 5% report having persistent symptoms. Unfortunately, this can lead to a child fearing bedtime, causing further disruption of their sleep.
Dr. Thomas:
Nightmares are common in children and can draw from various internal and external, emotionally powerful sources. If nightmares are severe and frequent, they can disrupt a child’s sleep. The degree of “activation” also matters. For example, an intense nightmare may make it difficult to get back to sleep right away. New onset, severe, and persistent nightmares can be a marker of post-traumatic stress disorder, indicating abuse and/or emotional trauma. Fortunately, most nightmares are infrequent and benign.
What are the signs of excessive daytime sleepiness in children?
Dr. Ramagopal:
If your child is falling asleep during the day while they are in school, on a car or bus ride, eating or talking, watching a movie, or reading a book, after a ‘good night’s sleep’ it may indicate a sleep issue. But it depends on the age of the child. If your child is over the age of five and takes daytime naps after a full night’s sleep, that again should alert you to excessive daytime sleepiness.
Dr. Thomas:
A child repeatedly falling asleep in the daytime during average activities after a reasonable amount of nighttime sleep is quite abnormal. Hyperactivity may also be a sign of sleepiness. Heading for a nap right after school is another red flag. Conditions causing sleepiness can also impair school performance. Falling asleep / nodding off on digital media, which is usually an engaging activity for children, is one possible symptom. Uncontrollable yawning in children is not normal either.
What effect do devices/screens have on sleep? Is it different for children?
Dr. Ramagopal:
Devices like cell phones, tablets, and computers emit short-wavelength blue light, which has been shown to delay and decrease melatonin production. This causes a delay in sleep onset and the total amount of time spent sleeping. Blue light decreases the amount of slow-wave sleep (deep sleep) and REM sleep, both of which are needed for cognitive functioning. This can make children more vulnerable to the effects of using devices at bedtime.
Dr. Thomas:
The biological response to light and dark is not negotiable; the way the body’s internal clock responds to light/dark is a fundamental physiological characteristic. There can be individual and genetic differences. Bright screens will delay the circadian system and cause alerting effects in the late biological evening, regardless of age. Cognitive engagement is also problematic regardless of whether or not dark modes on devices are used. Humans (and other creatures) were designed to have clean and stable light/dark cycles, and late evening to early night light pollution can delay the circadian system, suppress melatonin, and result in sleep loss.