Good sleep is a necessary condition for the physical and neurological development of children, especially infants under one year old. Their health and liveliness depend on the quality of sleep. Normally, when children are sleeping, they are quiet and comfortable, with a slightly sweaty head, even and silent breathing. Sometimes, their faces may show various expressions. However, when children are sick, their sleep can be abnormal.
Before falling asleep, they may become restless and easily wake up. After falling asleep, their whole body becomes dry, with a flushed face and rapid and shallow breathing. Their pulse rate is faster than normal, often indicating that a fever is about to come.
After falling asleep, they may toss and turn, with their clothes lifted and blankets kicked off. Their cheeks and lips become red, they feel thirsty and like to drink water, and their hands and feet feel hot. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that this is caused by yin deficiency and lung heat.
After falling asleep, they sleep on their stomachs with their buttocks raised. They may also have symptoms such as mouth ulcers, restlessness, and anxiety. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that this is caused by "heart heat, leading to prone position". This often occurs when children have residual heat after various acute febrile diseases.
After falling asleep, they may keep tossing and turning, accompanied by symptoms such as bad breath, bloating, dry mouth, red lips, thick yellow tongue coating, and dry stools. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that this is due to food retention in the stomach. The treatment principle should focus on promoting digestion and relieving stagnation.
They cry and fuss continuously during sleep, often shake their heads, and scratch their ears with their hands. Sometimes, they may also have a fever. This may be due to external auditory canal inflammation, eczema, or otitis media.
If their limbs tremble and jerk after falling asleep, it is often due to excessive fatigue during the day or strong mental stimulation (such as fright).
If they scratch their buttocks with their hands after falling asleep and small white thread-like worms are seen crawling around the anus, it may be a symptom of pinworm infection.
During deep sleep, especially when sleeping on their backs, they snore loudly and breathe through their mouths. This is caused by the enlargement of adenoids and tonsils, which affects their breathing.
