Disorders
Children refusing to go to bed, or unwilling to go to bed, or even scared to fall asleep, is a common problem. The causes of the reluctance may include:
- Fear of darkness also called nyctophobia,
- Inability to sleep also called insomnia which also results in boredom, often a symptom of hyperactivity or too long in bed,
- Nightmares,
- Curiosity about what is going on beyond their bedroom (such as what parents are doing),
- A circadian rhythm sleep disorder or another sleep disorder.
If people do not get enough sleep, they will function less well the following day. Growing children (particularly teenagers) need more sleep than others, but may be reluctant to go to bed at a suitable time, while their morning is scheduled by an alarm clock and appointments. This can become a significant developmental issue for months or years.
In adults, changes in sleep and bedtime may occur due to shift work, often creating severe problems with sleep rhythms. Natural sleeping rhythms lead to individually appropriate bedtimes, varying according to a person's chronotype.
Read more about this topic: Bedtime
Famous quotes containing the word disorders:
“It no longer makes sense to speak of “feeding problems” or “sleep problems” or “negative behavior” is if they were distinct categories, but to speak of “problems of development” and to search for the meaning of feeding and sleep disturbances or behavior disorders in the developmental phase which has produced them.”
—Selma H. Fraiberg (20th century)
“A car can massage organs which no masseur can reach. It is the one remedy for the disorders of the great sympathetic nervous system.”
—Jean Cocteau (1889–1963)