could i have narcolepsy?
Question: I’m a 17 year old girl with a sleep problem that has been interfering with my life. Could I have narcolepsy? I’ve been missing school a lot because I’m always tired. No matter how much sleep I get, I’m always, constantly tired. Over the summer, I need about 12 hours of sleep a night […]
always dreaming
I came across your website this morning and I have a question for you. Why is it that I dream every time that I go to sleep? My friends and family say that they do not dream on a regular basis. But even if I put my head on my desk at the office and […]
paralyzed!!! and, tired…
I’m a 22 year old female with what I believe is a very serious problem. It started strongly when I was about 16. It was New Year’s Eve. I spent the night at a friend’s house. When I laid down to sleep in the spare room it was like something grabbed me and was holding […]
waking dreams!
I have been having vivid recollections of what I think are dreams. These usually happen to me at the most inopportune times (e.g.. during meetings at work, etc.). The feeling is so overwhelming that I have no choice but to concentrate on the thought. During an episode I can see individuals that I have never […]
bedwetting
Bedwetting in children—also known as nocturnal enuresis—is believed to be caused by two factors: The child may have a small bladder capacity, or his ability to initiate arousal from sleep—upon receiving a signal from the body that the bladder is full—is undeveloped. Bedwetting is a disorder of arousal that occurs during deep, non-dreaming sleep. Roughly […]
bedwetting
Should children sleep with their parents? Every parent has faced the same situation. A child comes to the parent’s bedroom door and announces that he or she wants to sleep in the parent’s bed. What is the right response? According to sleep researchers and child psychologists, it is important for children to learn to sleep […]
nightmares
A recent study confirms what has been known about nightmares in children for quite some time: they’re pretty normal. Writing in the medical journal “American Family Physician,” Dr. J. F. Pagel reports that nightmares affect between 20-39% of all children between the ages of 5 and 12. Night terrors, a rarer condition often mistaken for […]
afraid of the dark
“The majority of children do not like to sleep in total darkness or with the door closed, and I see no reason why they should. There is no advantage in trying to train your child to sleep completely in the dark. It will be helpful if the bedroom is dimly lit by a nightlight, a […]
a child’s blanket
A raggedy old blanket or tattered stuffed animal may appear to be your child’s best friend at times—but remember that it also can be your best friend—especially at bedtime. Instead of your child requiring you to stay in the room until he falls asleep, he can derive comfort and reassurance from a “transitional object” Most […]
night terrors
I have a problem with my soon to be three-year-old son, who seems to have nightmares every night. I have heard nightmares are common in children, but doesn’t every night seem a little excessive? The nightmares are about someone hurting him in one way or another. He never talks about them and when he gets […]
night terrors
Hi Danielle— The good news is that your son isn’t really having nightmares. Instead, he’s having night terrors—a disorder that occurs during very deep, non-dreaming sleep—that actually is quite common in children. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to help your child—beginning tonight! Night terrors often are confused for nightmares, but the […]
leg kicks!
Have you ever noticed that your bed-partner has a regular twitch in his or her leg while asleep? Have you ever complained that the leg twitching “messes up the covers”—or worse yet—that you are being kicked during the night? If so, your bed-partner most likely has a case of Periodic Limb Movements in Sleep (PLMS). […]