There are a variety of different reasons why your child may have a hard time going and staying asleep. The cause is likely some type of sleep disorder. A sleep disorder is a certain type of medical disorder that effects the sleep cycles of both children and adults. However, even if you know that your child has some type of sleep disorder, it can be hard to pinpoint exactly what kind of disorder they are suffering from. This article will discuss two common sleep disorders that children suffer from, and some ways that you may help your child to deal with them.

Bed Wetting

Bed wetting happens to about 5 to 7 million children in the United States, and it commonly affects their sleep patterns. Your child may wet the bed either because they are unable to hold their urine through the night, or they simply do not wake up when they need to use the bathroom and urinate in their sleep. Bed wetting causes your child to wake up in the night, and may also make them fearful of going to sleep at all.  

The best way to help your child if they have this issue is to tell them that it is perfectly okay for this to happen, and that they don't need to worry about it. You can also put a diaper on them at night if this will help them to sleep better. Most children will outgrow this issue overtime, so showing them unconditional love and encouragement is the best way to help them. 

Anxiety/Depression

Another reason why your child may have trouble sleeping is because they suffer from anxiety or depression. Your child may be anxious due to trouble in school, trouble with friends, anxiety about their home life, and several other reasons. They may also suffer from depression if they are being bullied at school, feel as if they aren't good enough, etc. These worries may keep your child up at night, causing them to have a severe sleep disorder.

In order to help your child sleep better at night, you should talk with them, and help to resolve some of the issues they feel anxious about. You can also try to help them by stopping the issues and circumstances that are depressing them. However, if the depression is more than just situational, it can be a good idea to get your child the medical help that they need from a clinic like Billings Clinic.