Previously published in Examiner
Most Montrealers complain they do not get enough sleep. Yet, sleep affects are physical and mental health. Not having enough sleep affects our mood, our stamina, our home-life and career, and our social relationships.
Sleep is an important human function which is essential for good physical health and good mental health. Even though sleep is so important many Montrealers take sleeping for granted. They either sleep too much or more often than not, sleep less than is recommended for good health. Montrealers will catnap rather than sleep, burn the midnight oil studying, play on the computer, or just insist that they are too busy too sleep.
Conditions that affect sleep, our health, and mental health include such topics as sleepwalking. For help in the Montreal area for sleep disorders you can in Montreal click here:
Mount Sinai Hospital Sleep Center
Montreal Sleep Clinic
How is sleepwalking diagnosed?
Confusional-arousals in children
Children will moan and trash around in bed. They may cry and utter a few words . These words may not be understandable. The episodes can last from 5 to 45 minutes and can continue all night.
If you try to pick up your child, he or she will arch his or her back and trash around. The behavior exhibited by confusional-arousals resembles a temper tantrum in many ways, only the child is still sleeping. However, attempting to wake the child will not be successful.
According to medicine.net, the best thing is to let the episode progress on its own until it is over. The child is not harmed in anyway by these episodes,. Trying to wake the child up will only prolong the episodes. Often they occur in the first place because the child is overtired. Any inference with the body’s circadian rhythms such as naps, traveling, or illness can trigger confusional-arousals. Children do not remember these confusional-arousals episodes.
The thing is to make sure your child gets the sleep that he or she needs. Also, sleepwalking does aggravate the confusional-arousals episodes in the early part of the night. If the episodes are frequent and disrupt the family’s lifestyle, doctors may prescribe clonazepam at bedtime. The medication usually takes a few weeks to kick in and the confusional-arousals episodes usually go away.
Sources:
http://www.drhull.com/EncyMaster/C/confusional_arousals.html
http://www.medicinenet.com/sleepwalking/page4.htm