Sleep cramps in young children is a rather dangerous symptom. It is unlikely that young parents know exactly what to do when the baby develops such a manifestation. In many cases, the outcome of a 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.
Description of the problem
Spasms are called involuntary muscle contractions and cramps. Such manifestations can be painful and cause serious suffering to the child. Convulsive syndrome usually occurs suddenly. In some cases, it covers the whole body. Partial cramping may also occur. Muscle 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 relate to clear signs of epilepsy. The cause of seizures may be different.
Classification
Let's take a closer look. By the nature of the manifestation of convulsions can be divided into the following types:
- tonic: muscle tension is quite continuous;
- clonic: moments of tone and relaxation alternate with each other.
As a rule, the cramps in a child’s sleep are mixed - tonic-clonic. In infancy, cramping occurs more easily than in adulthood. This is due to the features of the functioning of the nervous system of infants. In particular, such symptoms can be explained by processes occurring in the brain.
The seizure can be divided into the following types according to the area of distribution:
- Focal: These are small twitches in the muscles of various parts of the body. For example, babies may experience leg cramps in their sleep. As a rule, such conditions are caused by a deficiency of magnesium or calcium.
- Fragmentary: spasms of this kind affect individual parts of the body. These can be involuntary movements of the foot, hand, eye, head.
- Myoclonic: spasm of individual muscle fibers.
- Generalized: extensive reductions. In this case, the lesion covers all muscle groups.
Causes
Why do cramps occur in a child’s dream? Reasons may vary. Doctors confirm that the younger the child, the higher his convulsive readiness. The baby is able to respond with muscle cramps to adverse effects from the outside. This may be a reaction to high temperature or poisoning.
Seizures in a child during sleep can be a symptom of dangerous diseases. There are isolated episodes after which the trembling does not recur. However, the child in this case should still be closely monitored.
Doctors say that many adults with a diagnosis of epilepsy had bouts of seizures in childhood. There is a direct connection between this symptom and the development of epilepsy. That is why it is extremely important to monitor a baby who has survived a single attack.
Signs and Symptoms
Sleep cramps are a pathological disorder in the brain. Even young inexperienced parents can easily recognize generalized manifestations in which convulsions shake the whole body of the baby. Other forms of convulsive syndrome are more difficult to notice. Fragmented manifestations will look like simple muscle twitches. Such symptoms are often observed in sleep in infants. Forms of seizures include loss of muscle tone, distracted gaze, excessive relaxation, numbness, slurred mumble.
For some diseases, loss of consciousness during seizures is characteristic. So febrile seizures usually occur. With tetanus contractions, on the contrary, clarity of mind is observed.
How does an attack develop?
Many young parents are interested in what cramps 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 attacks 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 involuntarily rolled up. Breathing becomes heavy and intermittent. The skin changes color, acquires a bluish color. During an attack, sphincters can also relax (a child can describe). Such cramps look intimidating and cause a feeling of panic in parents. However, they do not pose a particular danger. It is much more dangerous if convulsive syndrome is frequent. This may affect the proper development of the brain, and, accordingly, the intellectual abilities of the child in the future. In case of improperly rendered first aid, the baby may suffocate with his own vomit or break something for himself.
How do they arise?
How to understand what the child is experiencing at the time of the attack? For this, a more detailed understanding of the development of seizures should be made. 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 may occur incorrectly if at least one of the links in the chain is broken.
Brain signals are typically misinterpreted by muscles at high temperatures. As a result, the so-called febrile convulsions appear. The process of transferring impulses from brain cells to nerve fibers can be difficult due to the lack of magnesium and calcium in the body. As a result, the child may experience muscle spasm.
However, sometimes cramps occur in a child in a dream without fever. With what it can be connected? The baby’s nervous system is imperfect. She is experiencing rapid changes and can sometimes respond incorrectly to certain factors. It is for this reason that infants often experience night cramps. Blood circulation in a dream slows down, muscles are relaxed, and impulses pass with a serious delay. Children can experience such cramps at an older age.
When such a malfunction occurs, the brain will try to restore the lost connections as soon as possible. The cramp will last as long as he needs. When the impulses begin to pass freely, spasms and convulsions cease. So the seizure itself begins suddenly, but the reverse development of the attack usually occurs smoothly and in stages.
Negative factors causing cramps and cramps
So what are they like? Why does the child have cramps in a dream? In approximately 25% of cases, doctors cannot determine the exact cause of this condition. Often, muscle cramps result from high fever. Also, seizures occur with severe poisoning. The cause of increased convulsive readiness may be neurological problems.
Cramps in a child’s sleep 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 like? Generalized seizures with loss of consciousness can cause such a terrible pathology as epilepsy. In this case, the attacks are of multiple repetitive nature. Concomitant symptoms will depend on which part of the brain is affected. An attack can develop under the influence of certain factors. For example, in many adolescent girls, epilepsy attacks occur during menstruation.
All the causes of the development of epilepsy have not been fully established. It is only known that a genetic predisposition is of great importance in the development of this pathology. Children often inherit this disease from their parents. The likelihood of developing an epilepsy in a child increases significantly if the expectant mother took dangerous drugs during pregnancy, abused alcohol and cigarettes.
Types of seizures vary depending on the form of epilepsy. The duration of the attack can take from 2 to 20 minutes. At the same time, short-term respiratory arrest, urination are observed. Breasts during epilepsy attacks stop swallowing, look at one point, the pupils do not respond to light. Often before this there is an increased moodiness. The temperature may also rise slightly.
Spasmophilia
What is the danger of this ailment? Cramps in a baby’s sleep can occur due to spasmophilia. With this disease, cramping occurs due to a lack of magnesium and calcium in the body. Usually this condition is observed with rickets. Spasmophilia is a rather rare ailment. It occurs in less than 4% of children. The disease is seasonal. Convulsive cramps usually occur in the spring, when the intensity of sunlight becomes higher.
Most often, spasmophilia is manifested in convulsions of 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 toxic toxin produced by tetanus bacilli. Newborns can become infected through an umbilical wound. The risk of developing the disease is also high in children aged 3 to 7 years. Tetanus has a high mortality rate. Breasts die from this disease in 95% of cases. The likelihood of infection can be reduced by vaccination. Additionally, it is possible to protect the child thanks to the timely introduction of tetanus toxoid. With tetanus, convulsions are usually generalized and continuous. The first signs of the disease can be determined by trembling in the area of injury.
They differ from regular tremors in regularity and frequency. The next important sign of disease progression is the development of trismus. A child cramps chewing muscles. The expression changes, the corners of the lips are lowered, the mouth is difficult to open and close. Eyebrows rise unnaturally. At the next stage, severe cramps in the muscles of the limbs, back, and peritoneum are observed. In an attack, the child can freeze in an incredible position. The back is usually arched. This condition is usually accompanied by fever.
How to help?
What to do if a child has cramps in a dream? First of all, parents should immediately call an ambulance so that doctors can fix the attack. In anticipation of the medical team, it is recommended to observe all changes in the condition of the child. Pay attention to the nature of seizures, the frequency of their recurrence, the reaction of the crumbs to external stimuli. This information may be required by your doctor to determine the causes of this condition. You can also shoot what is happening on the video and then show it to the doctor.