It’s a dream to see a baby knocking his legs from the inside. Leg twitching during sleep

brain encephalopathy
Due to certain circumstances and a difficult birth, from the moment the baby was born, I worry about not overlooking some of his deviations. I know that, for example, brain encephalopathy is very difficult to diagnose in children. Mine is almost 5 months old now. Sometimes I notice that the child has difficulty falling asleep and is capricious for a long time before bed. and sometimes he cannot focus on any subject for a long time. What examination would you recommend to undergo to rule out encephalopathy, thank you!
hyperactive child
What to do with a hyperactive child? Doctor, advise me what to do, I no longer have the strength to take care of my third child. The birth was difficult, almost immediately after the second pregnancy. The third child was born premature, but has now more or less gained weight. And now he is almost a year old, there is literally not a minute of peace. He crawls, howls, if I don’t look at him or don’t work with him, he starts screaming, crying, banging his head on the floor ((We did soothing baths, massages, everything helps for a while. Is such hyperactivity a reason to prescribe special treatment? And it’s possible Is it possible to do with home methods? Thank you very much

Restless legs syndrome(RLS) is characterized by unpleasant sensations that are difficult for the patient to describe. This may be a sensation of crawling, itching, and in order to get rid of them, the patient is forced to move his legs. Occasionally, similar disorders are observed in the hands. It is typical that the symptoms are observed only at rest and completely disappear with movement, for example, when straightening the limbs, rubbing or walking.

In patients suffering from this disorder, it is extremely difficult to stay still in bed and fall asleep. Dysesthesia and the need to move the legs are most pronounced at night and often lead to difficulty falling asleep. Many patients also complain of severe dysesthesia and leg twitching during the night, after which it is difficult for them to sleep. The severity of symptoms varies. Patients may experience spontaneous remissions and severe exacerbations, regardless of external factors.

In most patients Those suffering from restless legs syndrome also experience periodic leg movements during sleep (PLMS). However, PDNS can develop in isolation, outside of RLS. They are characterized by stereotypical repetitive rhythmic movements of the legs (lasting 0.5-5.0 seconds with an interval between movements of 20-40 seconds). This is usually dorsiflexion of the foot. Sometimes the same phenomena are observed in the hands. Typically, the frequency of PDNS is higher in the first half of the night, but movements can also be observed throughout sleep.

In some cases, movement lead to awakening of the patient, and if there are many of them, then night sleep is disturbed, which leads to drowsiness during the day. The prevalence of PDNS increases with age. Thus, they affect 5% of people under 50 years of age and 44% of people over 65 years of age.

In most patients suffering from restless legs syndrome and PDNS, the etiology of the disorders is unclear. Therefore they are considered idiopathic. Familial cases of RLS are common. Both RLS and PDNS can be observed in anemia: iron deficiency, deficiency of folic acid or vitamin B12, as well as in patients with neuropathies, myelopathies, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid dysfunction and uremia. Therefore, in case of PDNS, it is necessary to exclude the above conditions and prescribe consultations with appropriate specialists.

Treatment of restless legs syndrome.

Exists three main classes of drugs, which have been shown to be effective in the treatment of restless legs syndrome and PDNS. These are benzodiazepines, dopaminergic drugs and opiates. Benzodiazepines include clonazepam, nitrazepam, lorazepam and temazepam. They improve the quality of night sleep in patients with RLS and PDNS. The most widely used drug is clonazepam. Its therapeutic effect is mainly associated with a reduction in the number of night awakenings caused by leg movements. The starting dose of clonazepam for the treatment of PDNS is usually 0.5-1.0 mg at night. In the treatment of RLS, additional doses of the drug taken throughout the day may be required.

Benzodiazepines may worsen sleep apnea, especially in older people.
There is data confirming effectiveness of L-dopa drugs for the treatment of restless legs syndrome and PDNS. At the beginning of therapy, carbidopa/levodopa is prescribed at a dose of 25 mg carbidopa/100 mg levodopa at night, then gradually increased until a therapeutic effect is achieved. Typically, a dose of 50 mg carbidopa/200 mg levodopa is sufficient to completely control RLS and PDNS. Treatment with long-acting carbidopa/levodopa (sinemet CR) may cause rebound phenomena. Side effects of carbidopa/levodopa treatment are minimal, with the exception of the mentioned rebound phenomenon, which consists of symptoms of dysesthesia and involuntary movements of the limbs during the day.

In the fight against this phenomenon The combined use of carbidopa/levodopa and benzodiazepines during the day may help. Dyskinesias caused by long-term treatment with L-dopa drugs, which are often found in patients with Parkinson's disease, are not typical for patients with RLS and PDNS. Bromocriptine and other dopaminergic agents are also effective treatments for these conditions.

Opioids very effective in treating restless legs syndrome and PDNS. However, the risk of addiction and dependence limits their clinical use. In severe cases, when other drugs are ineffective, short-term narcotic therapy is prescribed. Other possible treatments include carbamazepine, clonidine and baclofen.

I don’t know if it’s appropriate and, unfortunately, I can’t name the author of this document - I came across it without a signature.
BEDROOM
“The bed is our whole life, here we are born, here we love and here we die.”
Guy de Maupassant.
In more than half of cases, the cause of insomnia is poor sleep hygiene. In this regard, before discussing purely medical problems, we will talk in your bedroom.
Bed
Many people still sleep twenty years later in the same sagging bed they bought for their wedding. If your bed is more than 10 years old, then consider replacing it with a new one. If changing your bed is too expensive for you, be sure to place a sheet of plywood under the mattress. It should be 4 cm narrower than the mattress and 30-40 cm shorter. Some people with back pain may benefit from sleeping on a very firm base. However, if you do not feel relief within a week, you should not deprive yourself of comfort, since the benefit of this method in terms of preventing the progression of the disease has not been proven. A firm, flat mattress will probably be better for your backs.
In addition, the bed should be wide enough, especially if two people sleep on it. Did you know that when two people sleep on a regular-sized double bed, the width of the part of the bed occupied by each of them can be compared to the width of a baby's cradle. If you are sleeping alone, try to get a king size bed (183cm or 193cm wide) or put 2 single beds side by side and you will sleep better.
Pillow
Try to get used to sleeping on the lowest pillow possible. Under no circumstances should you use a large pillow tightly stuffed with feathers. In this case, the head is constantly in an unnaturally bent position, which can lead to headaches and problems with the spine. You can use special contour pillows.
Bed sheets
It is advisable to use soft cotton underwear. Satin sheets are certainly beautiful, but they are too slippery and do not allow air to pass through.
Do not use any synthetics. Recently, evidence has emerged that dark-colored underwear promotes better sleep quality.
Atmosphere
It used to be believed that you sleep better in a cold room, but this has not been confirmed. Currently, it is believed that each person should experiment and choose the optimal temperature regime for themselves. However, excessive dryness of the atmosphere should be avoided. In winter, make sure that your heating appliances are equipped with humidifiers, or at least throw a damp towel over the radiator before going to bed. This advice is addressed primarily to those suffering from bronchitis and asthma.
Lighting
Excessive sunlight can significantly impair sleep quality. In the bedroom, it is advisable to hang dark curtains or use a protective eye mask.
Noise
Silence in the bedroom is an indispensable condition for a restful sleep. If you are concerned about street noise, especially near motorways, invest in new soundproofed window frames.
Watch
Many people suffering from insomnia purchase glowing digital watches and place them near their bed. Painfully trying to fall asleep in the evening, they all the time anxiously look at the clock. Of course there should be an alarm clock in the bedroom, but if you tend to glance at it anxiously, place it where you can hear but not see. Some people, on the contrary, feel calmer when there is a clock in the bedroom. It may seem to a person that he did not sleep at all, but when he looks at his watch, he sees that he slept for several hours.
Often before important events, sleep is disturbed due to the fact that a person is afraid to oversleep and wakes up several times during the night to see if the alarm clock is working. In this situation, set two or three alarms at intervals of 5-10 minutes and your sleep will be much more restful.
What to sleep in?
According to doctors and psychologists, the question of what to sleep in is not of great importance. It is only important that the body breathes normally, and that your night clothes do not interfere with the normal flow of air and temperature regulation. If you like to sleep naked, sleep.

Some new mothers and fathers complain that their children have trouble sleeping. Babies constantly toss and turn in their sleep, while the child himself sleeps poorly and does not allow adults to get a good night's sleep. A child can jump up, spin around, kick his feet, stretch his arms and legs, abruptly roll over to the other side, in a word, develop very real physical activity even in complete darkness. What is the reason for such restless sleep in a child and why does the child toss and turn in his sleep?

One of the reasons for sleep disturbance in a child is his emotional activity. When a child is in continuous movement throughout the day, even at night the baby’s brain does not stop processing the information it received during the day. Therefore, sometimes involuntary movements of the arms and legs occur, this is a kind of imitation of the movements that the baby made during the day.

Young children often wake up during the night due to their own activity. To prevent this from happening, parents should make the place to sleep as convenient and comfortable as possible:

dress your baby according to the season while sleeping, he should be warm;

if a child throws off the blanket, be sure to wear socks and keep his feet warm;

before putting your baby in the crib, make sure that there are no objects that could interfere with a restful sleep;

Before going to bed, be sure to ventilate the room so that it is fresh and pleasant to fall asleep.

The cause of a child's restless sleep may be physiological reasons, for example, a confused daily routine. If he confuses day with night, sleep disturbances may also occur. Thus, the baby’s concepts of day and night are formed by the age of 3 months. Also, a child’s sleep pattern depends on what biological rhythm he has - whether he is a “night owl” or a “lark.” If the regime established by the parents does not coincide with the baby’s biological rhythm, then the child may toss and turn in his sleep.

If a child does not have a sleep schedule for a long time, problems may subsequently arise that only a doctor can solve. The sleep process of a child, like an adult, is divided into phases, and in the process of falling asleep, the baby can twist and turn in the crib until the deep sleep phase begins.

A child may toss and turn in his sleep if he fell asleep in uncomfortable conditions, for example, he is too hot or cold, perhaps the elastic band on his pajamas or some seams are pressing on him. The best temperature for sleeping is 18-20 degrees, air humidity is 60%. If you cannot organize a normal temperature, then at least ventilate it before going to bed.

A child may toss and turn in his sleep due to health problems. A sleep disorder can serve as a symptom of one of the diseases, such as allergies, pain in the intestines, stomach, infectious and other diseases.

If the baby tossed and turned in his sleep and woke up, then do not ignore him, go up and calm him down in a quiet voice, caress him, do not turn on the light and do not rush to change the diaper, just tell him a few kind words, if the problem is the child’s uncomfortable position, then fix the problem, correct it crib, and the baby will soon fall asleep again.