Sleep problems in children are disruptive to a child and the rest of his family. Exasperated parents often wonder when to call for professional help.

Although it is often of little comfort to sleep-deprived parents to hear this, the reality is that sleep problems are pretty normal during the first three years of a child’s life. Nightmares, night terrors, learning to toilet train, teething – all of these events affect sleep in young children. In addition to these factors, the basic human sleep cycle must be considered. People of all ages have periods of restlessness at night. Children sometimes end up wide awake during these periods and struggle to put themselves back to sleep. At that point, they cry or call on mom and dad to comfort them.

A child can be taught to put herself back to sleep. It is not always easy to break the night waking habit, but there are many methods out there that claim a high success rate. If you’ve tried these methods and are still faced with a sleepless child, there may be some other underlying problem that needs solving.

First, a word of caution: you should not try to diagnose your child’s sleep problems yourself, nor should you ever give a child sleep medication or an herbal remedy without the recommendation of a physician.

Approximately 10% of children have a true sleep disorder. Others have their sleep disturbed by asthma, allergies or an acid reflux problem. Once the source of the problem has been diagnosed by a medical professional, you can devise the appropriate solution. Here, according to childhood sleep expert Elizabeth Pantley, are some common symptoms in sleepless children that may indicate that a trip to the doctor is in order:

• loud and/or regular snoring
• restless, noisy sleep
• mouth breathing when sleeping
• choking, snorting, gasping or wheezing during sleep or holding breath while sleeping
• persistent night cough
• trouble falling asleep even when tired
• waking every hour or two throughout the night
• appearing tired even after a good night of sleep
• heavy sweating while sleeping
• frequent and intense nightmares or night terrors
• sleeping in strange, contorted positions
• often waking with a headache, heartburn or sore throat
• nasal sound in voice; regular mouth breathing
• over six years old and still wetting the bed
• difficult to wake; groggy after waking
• sometimes has muscle weakness when laughing or crying
• often inattentive, irritable, depressed or hyperactive during the day
• frequently falls asleep in the car or in front of the TV

Another symptom to watch for is rhythmic kicking or getting out of bed while still sleeping. Other signs of potential trouble include rocking or head banging while falling asleep.

If any of these symptoms apply to your child or if you find you can no longer tolerate your child’s sleep disturbances after having made efforts to resolve them, you should contact a medical professional. An appointment with your child’s regular physician is a good place to start. Not all general practitioners are equipped to deal with sleep disorders, so you may be referred to a specialist. You may want to try a sleep disorder center, if one is available near you. Or, depending on your family’s health care preferences, you may want to consult a naturopathic doctor to help diagnose and treat sleep problems in your child.