Sleep cramps in young children are quite a dangerous symptom. It is unlikely that young parents know exactly what to do when a child develops such a manifestation. In many cases, the outcome of the situation is determined by the quality of first aid. In this review, we will analyze the causes of this pathology, and also consider how parents should behave if a child develops a convulsive syndrome.
Problem description
Cramps are involuntary muscle contractions and spasms. Such manifestations can be painful and cause serious suffering to the child. The convulsive syndrome usually comes on suddenly. In some cases, it covers the entire body. Partial spasms may also be observed. Muscular contractions can have a different nature of occurrence. Their classification is very broad. Seizures are divided into epileptic and non-epileptic. Abbreviations of the first type refer to clear signs of epilepsy. The cause of non-epileptic seizures can vary.
Classification
Let's take a closer look. According to the nature of the manifestation of convulsions can be divided into the followingtypes:
- tonic: muscle tension is quite prolonged;
- clonic: moments of tone and relaxation alternate.
As a rule, seizures in a child's sleep are mixed - tonic-clonic. In infancy, spasms occur more easily than in adulthood. This is due to the peculiarities of the functioning of the nervous system of infants. In particular, such symptoms can be explained by processes occurring in the brain.
According to the area of distribution, convulsions can be divided into the following types:
- Focal: small twitches of muscles in various parts of the body. For example, babies may experience leg cramps during sleep. Typically, these conditions are caused by magnesium or calcium deficiency.
- Fragmentary: This type of spasm affects specific parts of the body. These can be involuntary movements of the leg, arm, eye, head.
- Myoclonic: spasm of individual muscle fibers.
- Generalized: extensive cuts. In this case, the lesion covers all muscle groups.
Reasons
Why does a child have seizures in a dream? The reasons may be different. Doctors confirm that the younger the child, the higher his convulsive readiness. The baby is able to respond with muscle spasms to adverse external influences. It could be a reaction to high fever or poisoning.
Cramps in a child during sleep can be a symptom of dangerousdiseases. There are also isolated episodes, after which the trembling does not recur. However, the child should still be closely monitored in this case.
Doctors say that many adults diagnosed with epilepsy had seizures in childhood. There is a direct link between this symptom and the development of epilepsy. That is why it is extremely important to monitor the baby who survived a single seizure.
Signs and symptoms
Sleep cramps are a pathological disorder in the brain. Even young inexperienced parents can easily recognize generalized manifestations in which the whole body of the baby is shaken by convulsions. Other forms of convulsive syndrome are harder to notice. Fragmentary manifestations will look like simple muscle tremors. Such symptoms are quite often observed in a dream in infants. Other forms of seizures are loss of muscle tone, distracted gaze, excessive relaxation, numbness, slurred mumbling.
Some diseases are characterized by loss of consciousness during attacks. This is how febrile seizures usually occur. With tetanus contractions, on the contrary, there is clarity of mind.
How does an attack develop?
Many young parents are interested in what convulsions look like in a child in a dream. You should know that an attack always develops in a certain sequence. It may depend on the type of disease. Sometimes it is the picture of the development of convulsive seizures that helps to establish the exact cause of the development of spasms.
A generalized seizure is characterized by a sudden onset. The child during convulsions tightly compresses the jaw. Eyes roll involuntarily. Breathing becomes heavy and intermittent. The skin changes color, becomes cyanotic. Sphincters may also relax during an attack (the child may urinate). Such convulsions look intimidating and cause a feeling of panic in parents. However, they do not pose a particular danger. It is much more dangerous if the convulsive syndrome is frequent. This can affect the proper development of the brain, and, accordingly, the intellectual abilities of the child in the future. In case of incorrect first aid, the baby may choke on his own vomit or break something.
How do they arise?
How to understand what a child is experiencing at the moment of an attack? For this, it is necessary to understand in more detail the picture of the development of seizures. In the normal state, muscle movements are possible only in the case of normal functioning of nerve fibers and the brain. Various substances are responsible for the stability of this bond. Impulse transmission can go wrong if even one of the links in the chain is broken.
Brain signals tend to be misinterpreted by muscles at high temperatures. As a result, so-called febrile convulsions appear. The process of transmitting impulses from brain cells to nerve fibers can also be difficult due to a lack of magnesium and calcium in the body. As a result, the child may experience muscle spasm.
Howeversometimes there are convulsions in a child in a dream without fever. With what it can be connected? The baby's nervous system is imperfect. It is undergoing rapid changes and can sometimes react incorrectly to certain factors. It is for this reason that infants often experience night cramps. Blood circulation in a dream slows down, the muscles are relaxed, and the impulses pass with a serious delay. These spasms can also be experienced by older children.
When such a failure occurs, the brain will try to restore lost connections as soon as possible. The cramp will last as long as it takes. When impulses begin to pass freely, spasms and convulsions stop. So the seizure itself begins suddenly, but the reverse development of the attack usually occurs smoothly and in stages.
Negative factors that cause cramps and spasms
So what are they? Why does my child have seizures while sleeping? In about 25% of cases, doctors cannot determine the exact cause of this condition. Often, muscle spasms occur as a result of high temperature. Also, seizures occur with severe poisoning. Neurological problems can also be the cause of increased convulsive readiness.
Sleep cramps in a child can occur due to severe stress or dehydration. This unpleasant symptom can accompany many diseases of the nervous system. Next, we will talk in more detail about the most common of them.
Epileptic seizures
What are they? Generalized seizures with loss of consciousness can cause such a terrible pathology as epilepsy. In this case, the attacks are multiple repetitive. Associated symptoms will depend on which part of the brain is affected. An attack can develop under the influence of certain factors. For example, many adolescent girls experience epileptic seizures during their period.
All causes of epilepsy have not been fully established. It is only known that genetic predisposition is of great importance in the development of this pathology. Children often inherit this disease from their parents. The likelihood of developing epilepsy in a child also increases significantly if the expectant mother during pregnancy took dangerous drugs, abused alcohol and cigarettes.
Types of seizures differ depending on the form of epilepsy. The duration of the attack can take from 2 to 20 minutes. In this case, there are short-term pauses in breathing, urination. Infants with epilepsy attacks stop swallowing, look at one point, the pupils do not react to light. Often before this there is increased capriciousness. The temperature may also rise slightly.
Spasmophilia
What is the danger of this disease? Sleep cramps in infants may occur due to spasmophilia. In this disease, spasms occur due to a lack of magnesium and calcium in the body. Usually this condition is observed with rickets. Spasmophilia is a fairly rare disease. It occurs in less than 4% of children. The disease is seasonal. Convulsive spasms usually occur in the spring when the intensity of sunlight becomes higher.
Most often, spasmophilia manifests itself in cramps in the muscles of the larynx. As a result, the child cannot breathe normally. Attacks usually last 1-2 minutes. In more severe forms, respiratory failure may develop.
Tetanus
This disease has an infectious nature. The central nervous system is affected by a poisonous toxin produced by tetanus bacilli. Newborns can become infected through the umbilical wound. The risk of developing the disease is also high in children aged 3 to 7 years. Tetanus has a high mortality rate. Babies die from this disease in 95% of cases. The chance of infection can be reduced by vaccination. Additionally, it is possible to protect the child thanks to the timely administration of tetanus toxoid. In tetanus, seizures are usually generalized and continuous. You can determine the first signs of the disease by trembling in the area of injury.
From ordinary tremors, they differ in regularity and frequency. The next important sign of disease progression is the development of trismus. The child cramps reduces the masticatory muscles. The facial expression changes, the corners of the lips are lowered, the mouth is difficult to open and close. Eyebrows unnaturally rise up. At the next stage, strong cramps of the muscles of the limbs, back, and peritoneum are observed. During a seizure, a child mayfreeze in an incredible position. The back is usually arched. This condition is usually accompanied by fever.
How can I help?
What should I do if my child has sleep cramps? First of all, parents should immediately call an ambulance so that doctors can fix the attack. While waiting for the medical team, it is recommended to observe all changes in the child's condition. Pay attention to the nature of seizures, the frequency of their repetition, the reaction of the crumbs to external stimuli. This information may be required by the doctor to determine the causes of this condition. You can also film what is happening and then show it to the doctor.
