Many parents, whether or not they’ve had other children, can be baffled when they realize something is wrong with their child. There are feelings of frustration and despair, as well as deep concern and indecisiveness with how to handle your child’s sleep problems.

Everybody must have at one time or another seen their child or someone else’s child sleeping in odd positions. It is normal to see the children sleeping in weird positions, and many times seeing them sleeping that way brings a smile to our lips. However, did you know that each such position means that the baby might develop a child sleep disorder sometimes later in life?

Surprised? The statement took me by surprise, too! Yet it seems to be true. A number of medical studies have been carried out that show that there is a clear and definite connection between the way a child sleeps (when they sleep in strange positions) and an imminent child sleep disorder.

Night terrors are most common in children from three to eight years old, and it is important to be able to distinguish night terrors from nightmares, as they are more likely to occur during times of stress or fatigue.

When a child sleeps in an arched position, it implies that the child may develop night asthma attacks. When this occurs after an accident or some other head trauma, it is indicative of excessive intracranial pressure.

This is not to imply that the child is neglected or unfed. It is more indicative of a situation where the child does not complain of being hungry, so a bottle or feeding isn’t given. If the child goes to bed without eating on a regular schedule, he might sleep himself right into a migraine that will appear if his body decides he’s hungry, or if his blood sugars are low.

The symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome include: Snoring, difficulty breathing during sleep, or mouth breathing during sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in children is most frequently caused by adenotonsillar hypertrophy, and other possible causes include: Craniofacial abnormalities, obesity, and neuromuscular disease.

If you’ve worked for years to determine what is wrong with your child, one night he may come to you holding his head-and only then that you as an unsuspecting parent might think to investigate headaches as potential source of your child’s sleep problem.