Learn How To Recognize Sleep Disorder Symptoms
Author Name: Heidi Holvoet, PhD
Medical fact-check: Dr Leah Alexander, M.D., F.A.A.P.
Are you worried that your baby, toddler or child
may be affected? You can
recognize
sleep disorder symptoms
in your baby or toddler by
spotting
extreme fatigue, snoring, heavy breathing, bedwetting, etc. and find out
how to link those to apnea, night terrors, sleepwalking,
narcolepsy and so on.
See below for complete
sleep
disorder evaluation
guidelines.
If you have your toddler or baby not sleeping well, it may be 'just'
the common so-called
behavioral
issues like difficulty sleeping through the night,
settling and self
soothing
or one of the common
sleep disturbances
(reflux, cold, teething, etc.).
But it could also be one of the
more
disruptive, primary sleep disorders
in children, like
night terrors, bedwetting (enuresis), sleepwalking or sleeptalking, apnea or narcolepsy.
Sleep disorder symptoms to look out for
If you're worried about your baby, toddler or also older child do the sleep disorder evaluation by checking for the following disorder symptoms:
-
Wakes up screaming shortly after going down
May be night terrors , also called sleep terrors. Babies as young as under one year old may have these too but they are more frequent in toddlers and older children.
-
Sits up, walks or talks, during nap or night: seems
awake but is not, is not "seeing"
May be sleepwalking or sleeptalking .
-
Regularly wets the bed after having been dry
for several months or having reached the age of 6-8+
May be bedwetting with a physical cause that requires attention.
May be a urinary tract infection, which always requires medical attention.
- Snores, mouth breathes or has difficulty breathing when sleeping, also when not having a cold
- Sweats (heavily) when sleeping and/or sleeps restlessly
-
Regularly stops breathing for a moment during the night or a nap
Either of these may be apnea . Check further symptoms and signs and visit a doctor or pediatrician.
- Is excessively tired during the day, also after a seemingly OK night
-
Has difficulty waking up in the morning at
normal times<
May be narcolepsy or apnea . Check further apnea signs and visit a doctor or pediatrician.
Remember that
each of
these symptoms can also happen from time to time,
without any disorder bothering your child
. It is when it
happens
frequently and persists, that it may be necessary to take action.
Refer to the
list
of sleep disorders
for a brief definition of each disorder.
Also if you worry, never hesitate to double check and consult your
doctor or health adviser when in doubt.
Article Author: Heidi Holvoet, PhD - Founder, senior sleep consultant
Heidi Holvoet, PhD, is the founder of the Baby Sleep Advice website and movement, an award-winning author, baby & toddler sleep consultant with 15+ years experience as well as a certified lactation counselor.
Over the years, Heidi has received several awards inluding a Mom's Choice Award (MCA) and National Parenting Awards (NAPPA) for her Baby Sleep Advice website, programs and books. Also, Baby Sleep Advice was awarded "Most Trusted Infant's Sleep Solutions Company 2023" in the Benelux Enterprise Awards 2023.
Heidi continually conducts personal research and participates in continued education and in that way stays up to date with current scientific and pyschosocial infant care.
She is also a member of the Association of Professional Sleep Consultants of which she was one of the earliest contributors. She obtained her PhD degree in physics at the University of Ghent in Belgium.
Heidi is passionate about helping babies and their parents sleep more and better, with her trademark approach that has been proven and praised time and again by parents worldwide to be effective and truly no-tears. Respect for you as a parent and your baby, is at the heart of Heidi's warm and kind support. Her approach always keeps in mind a baby's needs and abilities at any given age, is based on pediatric science and the most up to date knowledge in infant care and sleep science.
As well as the award-winning baby sleep programs, Heidi offers popular 1:1 consults and easy-access 30-minute SOS Sleep sessions.
Back to the
Sleep disorder overview

Baby waking every hour?
by Heidi Holvoet, PhD

Sleep schedules by age
by Heidi Holvoet, PhD

Separation Anxiety
by Heidi Holvoet, PhD

Crib safety guidelines
by Heidi Holvoet, PhD

Why does my baby wake up every hour?
by Heidi Holvoet, PhD