The child shudders when falling asleep several times. Why does a child twitch in a dream: reasons. Opinion of medical specialists

The first weeks, or even months, the young mother spends in constant tension, fearing to miss important symptoms, which may indicate that something hurts the child. Therefore, in the first days, the woman in labor always looks at how the baby is sleeping. And if the newborn shudders, the mother starts to panic. Is this really a cause for concern? Doctors usually smile when women talk about such "symptoms", but still recommend taking a closer look at the baby.

Features of work nervous system sometimes an adult is forced to start in his sleep. Have you ever noticed that falling into deep dream, as if throwing you up or, conversely, as if you are falling. This is the shudder you can regularly observe in your baby. This phenomenon is called hypnagogic fear. Previously, it was believed that it was at this moment that the child grows. In fact, this is a transition from the fast (shallow) sleep phase to the slow (deep) sleep phase, which, however, does not mean that the baby does not grow at such moments. Since the features of the flow of rest for an adult and a child differ significantly, you can observe sudden movements in the crumbs quite often.

You should know that a newborn baby sleeps differently: his phases last no more than 50 minutes, while in an adult they reach 150 minutes. At the same time, deep sleep prevails in parents, and in the crumbs these states change. Moreover, an adult almost immediately falls into slow dreams, and the baby can be in the phase of fast (superficial) rest for another half an hour. That is why you should not transfer him to the crib at this time if he fell asleep in your arms or next to you on a large bed or sofa.

At the moment of transition to the phase of deep sleep, the baby shudders, this mother can notice and after a while put the baby in his crib. In the same way, it will move with a further change of phases. In this case, of course, you should not panic, let alone invent diagnoses.

The main causes of startle

But phase shifts aren't the only reason babies may startle in their sleep. It should be understood that the emotions of the child and the work of his nervous system, reflexes - all this is interconnected and the baby is not yet controlled. Therefore, any experiences during the day, dreams during the superficial phase, features of the nervous system lead to the fact that the newborn can sleep quite restlessly. And the chaotic movements of the arms and legs in this case are concomitant. If the child constantly sleeps like this, you can consult a neurologist, but it is quite possible that you should just control the exercises before bedtime. Usually such a violent manifestation of emotions during sleep stops by the age of five. This is explained by the fact that during fast phase the brain develops, and by the specified age, the maturation process ends.

There are other reasons that make babies shudder in their sleep:

intestinal colic;
fatigue;
teething;
urination;
harsh sounds.

Obviously, among the listed causes there are no diseases that would require early examination. Colic is a natural phenomenon for children in the first months of life. As a rule, during their course, the baby tightens his legs, cries, and if they begin in a dream, he may shudder.

One of the reasons why the baby shudders in a dream is the beginning of intestinal colic.

A newborn is very tired of a lot of curious relatives, new experiences, even games. That is why the baby before going to bed should not be played and exercised too actively. By the way, dreams are also a manifestation of new emotions, although they say that even in the womb, babies are already dreaming.

All other reasons are as natural as the transitions between sleep phases. But do not lose vigilance.

Startle as a symptom

Of course, the movements of the body and limbs during sleep can be different. There are a number of signs that make parents wary:

if the baby trembles or shudders quite rhythmically, and not occasionally;
when the baby often wakes up and sleeps very restlessly;
if a child cries in a dream;
if there are convulsions;
shuddering in a dream is accompanied by another symptom - frequent regurgitation.

Most often this demonstrates the process of adaptation muscular system to new conditions.

So that parents and the baby's sleep are calm

Parental care will help to cope with the unstable and immature nervous system of the newborn to new conditions. You can do it elementarily:

Stroke the baby if you notice that he is flinching. You can sing a lullaby to him, talk quietly so that the baby hears that you are nearby.
Try to put the baby on the tummy: this helps many babies, as the colic calms down, the hands stop twitching and thus wake up the baby.
Perhaps swaddling will be the way out. It is not necessary to use ordinary diapers: you can take sleeping bags and envelopes with a zipper. Some constraint in movements will allow the newborn to feel more protected.
Before going to bed, give up active games, visiting relatives, noisy events. Give your baby a massage, before a night's rest, you can take a bath with soothing herbs. But it is better to do this only after consulting a doctor and only if there are really problems with sleep.

Don't panic if the flinching doesn't go away. If you have been examined by a neurologist, you should know if there are any serious reasons. If they are not there, be calm and patient: perceive such phenomena as a necessity for adequate development and adaptation of the child to a new world for him.

The little man falls asleep. What could be better for parents. Standing over the crib, mom and dad admire the sniffling baby. Suddenly the child shudders and twitches. This scares them.

Medical specialists have given a definition to this phenomenon - myoclonus. What is it? Why is it happening? Should I panic and see a doctor if the child shudders in a dream?

A child's shuddering during sleep and falling asleep may be due to the immaturity of the nervous system.

Physiology of nocturnal startle

Myoclonus, or flinching, is a sudden twitching of the muscles (mostly in the legs, arms, and face). Occurs during complete relaxation of the body. There is a shudder:

Synchronous and asynchronous;
Spontaneous;
Rhythmic and arrhythmic;
Reflex.

If a child shudders in a dream immediately after falling asleep, this is not a pathology. If the baby twitches all sleep, this is a reason to see a doctor.

What are the types of jerks when falling asleep?

Physiological:

occur when a sleeping child is suddenly touched;
overexcited nervous system during the day or just before bedtime;
may be a reaction to harsh sounds;
in infants may occur during feeding;

Pathological:

spontaneous respiratory arrest;
epilepsy;

spinal cord injury;
often during the transition from one phase of sleep to another - compensatory twitching of the lower extremities;
Ekbom's syndrome restless legs), which is characterized by unpleasant sensations in the feet and calf muscles;
hereditary reasons for poor blood supply the articular apparatus, when jerking the legs, blood flow to the joints improves.

When do they occur?

The appearance of physiological twitching occurs due to the conflict between the period of complete relaxation of the body and muscle tone. Often, in young children, this may be the transition from one phase of sleep to another (indicates that deep sleep has not yet come). It also affects the not yet fully formed nervous system. Parents watch as the baby twitches his arms and legs, smiles and mumbles in his sleep. At this point, it is strongly recommended not to wake the baby.

That is why, when these symptoms occur, more comfortable conditions falling asleep:

it is desirable to make a bath with infusions of herbs;
in the room where the baby sleeps, turn on diffused light;
organize the daily routine;
the temperature in the bedroom should not exceed 21°C.

The optimal temperature in the baby's bedroom is 18-21 ° C

It is imperative to remember that only a doctor can reliably distinguish the pathology from the norm. If twitching in a dream is of a prolonged nature, it is necessary to consult a specialist.

What are the causes of shuddering in a dream in infants?

Startle when changing sleep phases is not a pathology (small children also have dreams). If this happens more than 10-15 times a night, this is an occasion to consult a neurologist.

The reason for twitching can be too stormy the previous day, activity or profuse crying in the evening. A premature baby twitches more often than a healthy baby.

When a child's teeth are being cut or gassies are disturbing, this can also serve as a reason for shuddering. The formation and formation of the functioning of the digestive system in infants can cause discomfort in the stomach is another reason. Be sure to remember that often shuddering in a dream in infants superimposed on a high temperature can cause convulsions.

Some children in the background high temperature febrile seizures occur

That's why to avoid frequent occurrence twitches of a physiological nature, it is necessary:

avoid active games before bedtime;
make a relaxing and soothing massage;
do not dry the air in the bedroom with electric heaters;
avoid the appearance of mosquitoes and flies in the place where the child sleeps;
clothing, bedding, if possible, should be made of natural fabrics;
vests, sliders should be loose-fitting and not restrict movement (tightness can cause shudders);
bathing the baby in a warm decoction of herbs: calendula, mint, chamomile, needles, sea salt(aimed at relaxing muscles);
avoid both overfeeding and underfeeding at bedtime;
Try to put your baby to bed at the same time.

Why there are causes for concern

In some cases, this phenomenon may be a manifestation serious illnesses. Why is it necessary to sound the alarm and consult a doctor? What recommendations should be followed?

There are situations when it is necessary to consult a doctor about the shuddering of a child in a dream.

You need to worry in the following cases:

when the baby twitches the whole rest;
on the restless sleep and startling, symptoms of fright are superimposed (the child cries or screams in a dream);
laboratory revealed increased content vitamin D or lack of Ca;
shudders appeared against the background of a previously calm sleep;
twitching of the arms and legs can be a symptom of a metabolic disorder, if left untreated can lead to spontaneous convulsions.

In this situation, it would be good to contact a neurologist or a local pediatrician for complete examination. Mom needs to stay calm. Don't commit sudden movements and eliminate too harsh sounds (they can scare).

Why is medication not used in children?

Application medicines justified only by doctor's prescription. it last resort in treatment.

Not a single event and phenomenon in the life of a beloved child escapes the eyes of the parents. Something makes them happy, and something makes them worry. The last cases can be attributed to the startling of the baby when he goes to sleep. Occasionally, the reasons that the child begins to twitch when falling asleep are absolutely harmless, and sometimes they really deserve attention and elimination of the problem.

Before you go to the doctor, try to identify them on your own in order to be able to help your child if necessary.

Physiology

Doctors explain to worried parents that this phenomenon is not associated with any pathologies and there is no need to worry. This is due to the fact that the baby's body is going through a period of adaptation to the conditions of the surrounding world, weaning from the conditions of life in the mother's womb.

This is also connected with the peculiarities of the nervous system - the child's braking mechanism is still imperfect, which does not allow him to rapidly switch from wakefulness to sleep. It is believed that before the baby reaches the year, this phenomenon is the norm.

There are other unbiased reasons why a child twitches during bedtime:

Doctors notice that this phenomenon is more common in children born prematurely. This should not cause concern for parents;
It is more difficult for the most mobile little ones to fall asleep, therefore they may shudder;
Many children experience overwork. This applies exclusively to energetic kids;
There is evidence that dreams come to children while still in the womb. This can also be one of the causes of twitching. The child can even wake up many times from dreams, which should also not cause alarm, if this does not happen more than 10 times during the rest period, provided there are no external stimuli;
The muscles of children, like adults, contract sharply when falling asleep, resulting in a feeling called hypnagogic fright. The phenomenon is accompanied by a dream in which the child falls somewhere from a height, fails. From this sensation, he experiences a feeling of anxiety, which passes very quickly, like this dream itself.

The reason may also be pain associated with cutting teeth or colic, accompanying the adaptation of the stomach and intestines of the little one to the digestion of food.

Startle takes place, as usual, during periods superficial sleep, the share of which from each time of rest of children is significantly huge. At this time, they can move their legs and arms, smile, make sounds, twitch.

At the same time, if you wake him up, do not give him a full rest.

The sleep phases of the little one alternate very rapidly, therefore, in one period of rest, he can change his behavior many times. Often this leads parents to the idea that the child does not rest at all, but children's sleep violated.

Diseases

The phenomenon may signal a disease of the peanut.

To eliminate this possibility, pay attention to the following factors:

How often does he wake up?

Determine the rhythm of movements;

Analyze the overall health of your child.

What can tell parents that their child needs expert advice?

convulsions

Sometimes a child shudders when falling asleep if he has convulsions. They differ from ordinary shudders in rhythm. If you find that any part of the baby's body or he is twitching as if frozen, you should contact a neurologist. Suppose there are neurological disorders and need to be treated. The main thing to remember is that this is not an extremely harmless sign.

Some parents attribute it to the fact that the child is growing, his bones and muscles are undergoing changes.

However, seizures may indicate a lack of sodium, potassium, other minerals in the baby's body, as well as diseases such as epilepsy, mental disorders, diseases endocrine system etc.

Often they are truly an age-related disorder.

This happens when the peanut is mishandled (when he feels rage, anger, other negative manifestations). Upon reaching 3 years, these manifestations may disappear by themselves. Some children older than 3 years have pseudo-convulsions. The guys imitate them in order to blackmail adults.

In many of these cases this sign manifests itself not only during falling asleep, but also during wakefulness. The reasons and methods for solving the snag must be strictly discussed with the doctor.

Crying, anxiety

Crying often accompanies not only periods of wakefulness, but also the time the child falls asleep. If a we are talking about babies, this may be due, first of all, to the peculiarities of age. This is an exceptional method for him to express his emotions, fatigue, relieve tension. When a child roars, it calms down more quickly, and only after “speaking out” will it calmly fall asleep.

And day and night, from fatigue, a child can be wayward at the age of up to 1.5 months. This period characterized by the fact that the little one still does not distinguish the times of day. In order to quickly accustom the baby to them, stay awake during the day, play and be active with him, and when he sleeps, do not close the curtains so that daylight enters the room. At night, create darkness in the children's room, and if he wakes up and starts to roar, it is not necessary to play with him, talk to him.

It is a completely different matter if the child not only roars when falling asleep, but behaves restlessly, anxiously.

This may indicate the presence of a disease. Take your temperature, which often helps with these symptoms. Often the cause of sleep disorders are diseases such as inflammation of the adenoids, tonsils. Occasionally it lies in rickets. At the same time, the excitement and crying of the baby is accompanied by shudders.

sweating

When parents notice that a child sweats while falling asleep, they do not invariably suspect some ailment. In many cases, this is objective, tea sweating of the baby can be successive or be explained by the characteristics of the organism. However, you should consult your doctor on this matter.

This phenomenon is observed in immensely well-fed peanuts.

In the absence of any concomitant diseases there is virtually no reason for concern, in addition to the fact that the weight of the child also needs to be controlled, tea can become a provocateur of various diseases.

If, when falling asleep, the child tends to sweat powerfully, behave restlessly, consult a neurologist, cardiologist, endocrinologist.

The fact is that it can be a sign even of diseases such as tuberculosis, diabetes, metabolic disorders, diseases lymph nodes and nervous system.

As a rule, if the baby sweats powerfully, going to bed, doctors recommend tempering him, paying attention to strengthening immunity, and preventing the child from overworking.

How to ensure healthy sleep?

Some pediatricians advise to swaddle the little one tightly in the old fashioned way, explaining that in this way it is possible to save him from shuddering. In addition, wrapped up, he feels safe.

It is quite primitive for a mother to stroke a baby if he started to twitch or burst into tears before going to bed - feeling the warmth of the native person, the little one will calm down and fall asleep faster.

The baby feels the sensitive state of the mother, adopting it, therefore, mothers are advised to be as less nervous as possible, to be zealous in getting rid of stress.

Put a dim night light in your baby's bedroom.

The dim light will relieve him of fears, calm him down. If you think that impeccable silence is necessary for the peace of mind of a child, you are not entirely right, because. since the time of being in the womb, the child has become accustomed to listening to different sounds.

This does not mean that something should rumble, scream, rattle around him, but the usual sounds of your apartment will not interfere with him.

Especially close to him is the sound of the voice of his mother, who sang a lullaby, told fairy tales. Even from the prenatal development, a child could get used to listening to music if you turned it on. Thus, he will calm down to more familiar sounds, say, lullaby song. If you did not put it on the child before birth, do not attack - he will be able to get used to it after his birth. Usually, children are given a lullaby or classical music to fall asleep, which they listen to and calm down.

Give your baby love and warmth, then his sleep will be strong and healthy.

A sleeping baby looks very cute, so it is rare for young parents to deny themselves the pleasure of admiring their most beautiful child in the world. But sometimes you can notice how a peacefully sleeping baby suddenly twitches sharply, trembling with his whole body. This can be very scary and excite parents, so you need to figure out why the child shudders in a dream.

In the meantime, worry about infant shudders in sleep, in most cases it is not worth it. Nervous system small child imperfect, so this reaction is quite natural.

What causes the baby to shudder? In fact, there are many, here are just the most common:

Dreams. Surprisingly, even at the age of 1 month, the baby dreams. Moreover, there is an opinion that the baby can dream even before birth, while in the womb of the mother. Startle at the moment of transition from deep phase shallow sleep is quite natural, so you should not worry.

Colic. In babies, the digestive system is imperfect, therefore, in the first 1-2 months of life, they are often tormented by intestinal colic. Therefore, startling in a dream may be due to gas formation processes that cause discomfort.

Impression. At the age of 3 months, the baby actively explores the world, so every day he brings a lot of new experiences. The brain and central nervous system “assimilates” these impressions, so the baby can become overexcited, which will provoke restless sleep.

Disease. Startle during illness due to feeling unwell, so if a sick child shudders in a dream and cries, then he just wants to complain to his mother that he is ill. For example, many babies at the age of 5 months or 6 months begin to sleep restlessly, because this is the period of teething, which is difficult for many babies.

Young mothers after childbirth are faced with many incomprehensible phenomena in their baby. The most common of these is startling in a dream. When a calmly sleeping child suddenly shakes with trembling, it looks quite frightening. What reasons lead to shudders, and should they be feared?

Causes of uncontrollable jerks in sleep

According to pediatricians, shuddering in babies in a dream in most cases does not mean the presence of abnormalities. On the contrary, for children up to six months of life, they are even the norm. What are the most common causes of this phenomenon?

Adaptation. During childbirth, the child experiences tremendous stress. And then it turns out to be defenseless in an unfamiliar world. Under such conditions, it is natural that small organism must adapt. The startle reflex or Moro reflex is one of the defensive reactions in this period.
Colic. Digestive system infant does not immediately begin to function as expected. Up to three, and often up to four months, the baby may suffer from colic, from which he shudders and cries in his sleep.
Teething. At an older age, starting from four months, the baby begins to worry about teething. They irritate the delicate mucous tissue of the gums with sharp edges and interfere with restful sleep.
active phase of sleep. Newborns, unlike adults, have only two phases of sleep - calm and active. Moreover, the latter prevails in duration. It is not surprising that infant sleep is so sensitive that the baby wakes up from any noise. During the shallow phase, startling is possible, which means that the child has received too many emotions and is overexcited. Therefore, in the evening it is not advisable to load it with large amounts of information, but it is better to play calm games.

Signs to watch out for

The above reasons lead to single, sharp shudders that do not interrupt the baby's sleep. But if the limbs of a child tremble rhythmically and finely, then this serious occasion suspect seizures.

In this case, a visit to a neurologist is inevitable, because convulsive trembling is one of the first signs of epilepsy or other neurological pathology.

Also, frequent awakenings, more than 10 times a night, after which the child is overly excited and worried, should be alerted. Such behavior is permissible only against the background of an illness accompanied by fever.

What can convulsive, incessant shuddering speak of?

Metabolic disorder. Newborns often have metabolic disorders. This is due to the unstable work of the central nervous system, as well as an imbalance between its activity and the amount of food consumed. As a result, an excess or deficiency of any substances is possible in the body, which leads to the fact that it shudders convulsively in a dream.
Rickets. The disease may appear on the background unbalanced nutrition and vitamin D deficiency in the newborn. This is especially true for children born in winter, as they receive less sunlight in an amount sufficient for the vitamin to begin to be produced. With rickets, the bones of the skeleton are bent, the central nervous system can also be affected, as signaled by convulsions in a dream.
Increased intracranial pressure. One of the causes of sleep disorders in newborns is intracranial hypertension. It can be the result of trauma at birth, as well as a brain tumor.
Disorders of the central nervous system. Sometimes infants are diagnosed with a syndrome of increased neuro-reflex excitability, which occurs after birth injury. At untimely treatment the disease leads to constant overexcitability of the child and even to memory lapses.

How to help your baby get rid of winces

Restful, deep sleep is the key wellness and development of the newborn. Therefore, parents are obliged to do everything possible so that the baby sleeps all night without waking up. How to do it?

In order for the child to pass the adaptation stage as soon as possible and painlessly, it is necessary to provide him with comfortable conditions for life. Surround with care, talk to him more often, avoiding raised tones, and also do not forget to hug. But you should not accustom the child to sleep in complete silence, because then he will shudder at the slightest rustle.

If the baby is worried about colic, you should lay it on the tummy between feedings. After eating, turn it over with a "column" for the discharge of gas. It is also necessary to carry out the feeding process correctly, no matter if the child is on breastfeeding or artificial.
At painful teething teeth to relieve itching and irritation from the gums will help special pharmaceutical preparations. It is also good to give the baby to chew teethers chilled in the refrigerator, which will ease the pain. But bagels and other food products should not be used for this purpose, since small particles, breaking off, can harm the child.
AT evening time it is better not to start active games. Water procedures need to be carried out in hot water with chamomile or other decoctions of sedative plants. Then stroke the baby on the back and tummy, making light massage. And read or sing to him before going to bed in a calm voice.
It is necessary to introduce a rule to ventilate the room and ensure that the temperature is not excessively high (more than 21 ° C). Important are the daily wet cleaning in the nursery.

If the child, after eliminating all distractions, still shudders in a dream and wakes up, you need to contact a pediatrician for help. Tightening often leads to backfire which can be avoided with timely treatment.