Lucy Piper: As we all know babies and children need plenty of sleep and it's not always at a time that's convenient with you. There are lots of reasons why children may feel drowsy and it' not always simply because they're exhausted. Mom Palvi chats to Yvonne Dormer from St. John Ambulance about what to do if her little boy feels faint or drowsy.
Palvi Karia: Yvonne, Niyam (ph) gets tired quite often during the day is it something I should worry about?
Yvonne Dormer: He's an active little boy, needing to catch up on some rest is quite normal, possibly 2 or 3 hours during the day wouldn't be unusual.
Palvi Karia: Would it be a sign of a bug or hunger may be?
Yvonne Dormer: If he's got a bug then there will probably be other things you could associate with it like a bit of a temperature, maybe he wants to get a bit more attention from mom than usual, a bit fractious and tearful as well. But the body's natural way of fighting things off, as often to sleep. So, a couple of hours wouldn't be a problem.
If you think it might be associated with him not having eaten then it could be a fact that they may have a little bit of problem controlling their blood sugar. They do need to eat regularly. Active children burn off an awful lot of energy, so possibly a little bit aggressive and angry seeming before they start to get drowsy.
Palvi Karia: Isn't blood sugar associated with diabetes?
Yvonne Dormer: It is but that's a disease where the body can persist the sugars properly and the problem within that is that they then build up and you get a high level of blood sugar, because the body is not processing it. That's associated with other things, as well like wanting to drink a lot, feeling very-very thirsty but also going to the loo a lot and a lot of way a lot of changes of nappies. So, you have other signs to go along with that, it can be treated but does need to be seen by a doctor if you're worried.
Palvi Karia: So, go straight way to the doctor at that point.
Yvonne Dormer: Yes.
Palvi Karia: And my 15-month-old daughter Maya, she naturally sleeps a lot more than Niyam. Would the signs and symptoms be the same?
Yvonne Dormer: Yes they both need more sleep during the day, maybe 3, up to 4 hours. But usually in short spans, not all in one go. So, they spread that out during the day. But otherwise, things should be relatively the same yes.
Palvi Karia: How do I know that they're in a dangerous period? How do I know that they have slept too long?
Yvonne Dormer: Generally speaking, two or three hours would be the maximum that a child would sleep. The younger they are, the more often they need to eat and hunger will wake them up. So, they'll sleep for two or three hours and then the tummy will say, come on I need some food, and they'll naturally wake up. So, if you have had a child asleep for three or four hours when they are same age as Maya then really that is a little bit too long and they need to be woken.
Palvi Karia: So I should wake them up?
Yvonne Dormer: Yeah, try and wake them.
Palvi Karia: If I was concerned, once I have waken them up, should I take them to the doctor or the emergency room?
Yvonne Dormer: You'll know what's normal for your baby when they wake. If there's anything off to the ordinary, then it's always wise to see medical professionals, so get them to the doctors, yes.
Palvi Karia: Okay.
Lucy Piper: Things to remember, if your child is unusually sleepy, wake them up after 1 hour. Try keeping an eye on them when they are asleep and prop them up on their side. If you're too worried do call a doctor.
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