Very often, young parents are faced with the phenomenon when their baby sleeps with open eyes. It looks quite unusual, and in some cases it can cause anxiety and worries to the parents of the baby.
In most cases, there is nothing wrong with the fact that the child sleeps with his eyes half open, this phenomenon is quite explainable by the normal patterns of sleep and the specifics of child development.
Why do children sleep with their eyes open
The situation when a newborn sleeps with his eyes open is called lagophthalmos (which is not any sleep disorder in a child). Pediatric specialists explain this phenomenon by the fact that for a large amount of time the child is in the stage of active sleep, during this period the eye sockets can make any movements (roll up), and the eyelids can open slightly at the same time. There is nothing wrong with this, but if this worries the parents very much, you can carefully try to cover your eyelids, trying not to wake up the baby.
The baby stops sleeping with slightly open gas after reaching 12-18 months. In slightly older children, this phenomenon can be periodic in nature and is caused by the child's emotional overexcitation during the daytime. The brain cells are quite overworked and, as a result, the phenomenon of incomplete closure of the eyelids is observed. In such cases, sleep, in addition to slightly open eyes, is accompanied by other signs of anxiety: sudden screams or twitching of the limbs.
If, after the child reaches one and a half years, he continues to sleep with his eyes slightly open on a regular basis, the reasons, perhaps, should be sought from narrower specialists. The presence of physiological underdevelopment of the eyelid or any neurological disorders is possible.
Somnabulism in a child
Also, somnabulism can be the reason for the slightly open eyes during the child's sleep. The age threshold for the onset of the development of this disease is considered to be the age of six years. The state of somnambulism can last from a few minutes to an hour, and sometimes much longer.
This phenomenon is treated in cases where it is caused by the consequences of any particular disease or incidents. Usually, patients with such a disease are recommended to undergo an electroencephalogram, as well as Doppler ultrasonography of the vessels of the brain. It is imperative to be examined by an ophthalmologist who will conduct a study of the fundus of the eyeball.
This phenomenon has no genetic predisposition and is provoked only by certain external stimuli. Very often, somnabulism goes away with age.
