Many young patients experience fatigue and drowsiness as a result of infections. Parents notice that the baby begins to spend more time lying down, is not interested in the world around him, shows apathy, and is inactive. If a child sleeps a lot after an illness and feels weak, what to do in such a situation?
Why does health deteriorate?
In young patients, lethargy and apathy develop under the influence of various factors.
The reasons for this condition include the following:
- Violations circadian rhythms or lack of night's rest.
- The presence of latent infection in the body.
- The initial stage of a viral illness.
- If a child sleeps a lot after an illness, this phenomenon may be explained by the weakness of the body, which was forced to resist viral attacks for a long time.
- Exacerbation of concomitant pathologies (anemia, diabetes mellitus, functional disorders thyroid gland).
It is important for parents to know why their child sleeps a lot after illness. In addition, you need to have an idea of ways to improve the baby’s condition.
Lethargy due to fever and viral pathologies
Respiratory infectious diseases are widespread among boys and girls who attend kindergartens and schools. Patients with ARVI are often people under the age of five. During this period, the immune system is exposed to microbes, since the body’s defenses are not yet sufficiently formed. In addition, the body temperature in children may rise slightly not only under the influence of illnesses, but also as a result of other circumstances. For example, this is a long physical activity, stuffiness, wearing too warm clothes. In this situation, it is enough to remove some clothes, open the window, and give the baby a drink of water. As a rule, in such cases there is no deterioration in health. However, lethargy due to ARVI is a typical manifestation for most boys and girls.
Fatigue and apathy are explained by an increase in temperature, which can be caused by:
- viral diseases (flu, chickenpox, herpes, E. coli);
- pathologies respiratory system and urinary organs;
- neurological disease;
- allergic manifestations;
- the appearance of the first teeth (in infants).
In many cases, parents should not be alarmed if the child sleeps a lot after illness. The illness suffered weakens the patient’s body. It takes a certain period of time to restore and normalize its functions.
What is the cause of drowsiness after viral pathologies?
Acute phase infectious diseases in minor patients usually lasts from three to five days. If the baby has a weak immune system, improvement in health may occur only after 10 days. The recovery process takes a lot of time. This explains why the patient feels overwhelmed. The feeling of lethargy persists for several days or even weeks.
Parents are worried when their child sleeps a lot after illness. Komarovsky (a well-known pediatrician) claims that such a condition may be associated with a decrease in temperature and loss of strength. Weakness is explained by the body's need to take a break to rest. This situation is common for young children. After some time, the condition improves on its own.
Other reasons
Why does a child sleep a lot after illness? Malaise may be due to the following factors:
How to improve the baby's condition?
You should not hope that the child will become cheerful and cheerful a few days after the infection. The body needs time to recover. To speed up this period and help your baby feel better, you should follow these tips:
Other factors that cause poor health
Against the background of infections, they arise or worsen accompanying pathologies. Therefore, it is important for parents to closely monitor the condition of their son or daughter. Sometimes the answer to the question of why a child sleeps a lot is serious illnesses (thyroid dysfunction, diabetes). In addition, in some cases the patient’s condition requires emergency care. An ambulance should be called if:
- The baby sleeps for more than five hours and cannot be woken up.
- The skin has acquired a blue tint.
- There are respiratory problems.
There are several explanations for why a child sleeps a lot after illness. Fortunately, most of these circumstances are not dangerous.
A healthy baby is active, cheerful and inquisitive. Lethargy in a child makes parents think about his condition. Infants, especially in the first months of life, sleep a lot, but at the same time, they actively develop and grow. Any changes in the baby's behavior are a serious cause for concern. The course of the disease can develop rapidly in a small, fragile organism, due to imperfect immune system. Sometimes parents make a huge mistake, believing that their child is lethargic. normal symptom, for example, during teething, or after vaccination, and this is not a cause for concern. At this time, immunity decreases significantly and infection occurs.
Lethargy in newborns
The neonatal period lasts from the birth of the baby until six weeks of his life. Adaptation to the surrounding world occurs, as well as further development all organs and systems. A newborn baby sleeps for a long time, about twenty hours a day, with short breaks for feeding. In some cases, the baby finds it difficult to breastfeed and begins to become weaker and sleep more. Increased sleepiness may be a manifestation of lethargy due to insufficient nutrition and dehydration.
Doctor's advice. It is necessary to carry out control weighing before and after breastfeeding throughout the day to avoid the consequences associated with systematic malnutrition of the baby
Every 3 hours it is necessary to put the baby to the breast so that he feels the difference between hunger and satiety, and also learns to suck out a sufficient amount of milk for his growth and development.
You should immediately consult a doctor if your newborn, in addition to drowsiness and lethargy, experiences symptoms such as:
- Fever.
- The crying is weak and quiet.
- It is impossible to wake up the child.
- The amount of urine and the frequency of urination have decreased, less than five times a day. To avoid confusion, you can put a dry paper napkin in the diaper.
- Dry mouth and eyes.
- Absence or weakness of the sucking reflex.
- Feces Green colour or foamy.
- Stool with streaks or blood clots.
- Lack of bowel movements for at least a day.
- The skin has a bluish or yellow tint.
- Skin turgor has decreased (when pinched, the skin straightens very slowly).
- Convulsions appeared.
These manifestations may indicate extremely dangerous conditions for the child. pathological conditions, such as: complicated viral, bacterial, intestinal infections, dehydration, heart, kidney and liver diseases.
Lethargy in infants
Infancy begins after the neonatal period and continues until twelve months. The baby is growing quickly, gaining weight and developing. Organs and systems are not fully formed and the body is still adapting to the surrounding world. Illnesses in infants can occur, at first glance, without symptoms; the child is not able to complain and explain his illness.
Lethargy can be present in an infant during teething, the presence of an intestinal or viral infection, and many other ailments. High temperature is an inseparable companion to drowsiness, weakness and lethargy in children. It is also a manifestation various pathologies. All inflammatory processes cover children's body They develop very quickly and at lightning speed.
Important! High temperature infants(above 38˚C) is a serious reason to urgently call an ambulance. Hyperthermic syndrome may develop, which manifests itself as convulsions and negatively affects the child’s brain and heart.
Diseases that cause lethargy in infants, along with other symptoms, and are the reason for visiting a doctor, are shown in the table below.
Acute intestinal infection. Lethargy is always present during an acute intestinal infection. Children under one year of age are susceptible to this disease. An intestinal infection is often confused with a condition that occurs in a child during teething, and for this reason, parents do not always consult a doctor.
An intestinal infection manifests itself with the following symptoms:
- Pain in the abdomen (when pressure is applied to the abdomen, the child begins to cry heavily and pulls his knees to his stomach).
- Heat.
- Frequent stool liquid consistency, greenish color with mucus impurities (in healthy child chair yellow color consistency resembles porridge).
- Refusal to eat.
- There may be vomiting, but the baby will not always vomit with an intestinal infection. This symptom appears with moderate or severe disease.
Intestinal infection, like any other, is acute in infants. If all of the above symptoms occur, you should try to give your child clean water. boiled water, as often as possible, in small portions and immediately consult a doctor.
Important! If there is no urine for six hours, the appearance of stool traces of blood, loss of consciousness, dry skin, sunken fontanel, you should immediately call an ambulance. These are signs of dehydration dangerous condition for babies
Lethargy and weakness may be present with diseases such as:
- allergies, bronchitis, pneumonia, sore throat, after vaccinations. And it is symptoms of serious diseases, such as meningitis, meningoccemia, sepsis.
Lethargy in young and older children
After one year and up to 6-7 years, the child goes through the period of early childhood. After the age of seven, the next stage of growing up begins, called childhood. The little person is no longer so vulnerable to infections and becomes stronger and more resilient. His body has completely adapted to the world around him, and the baby begins to explore everything around him with interest. The appearance of lethargy in a child at this age, warning sign, which may indicate both the development of diseases and the impact external factors. Almost all of the above pathologies that cause lethargy in infants can also appear in older children. Of course, they will not develop so quickly. A slight fever, cough, or runny nose will no longer cause fear and panic in parents or increased anxiety in the doctor. But still, the risk of various diseases always present.
False croup. Viral infections may be complicated false croup in children from one to 4-5 years. This is a condition in which, against the background colds The larynx narrows and suffocation occurs, threatening the child’s life.
Important! Dry barking cough, rapid loud breathing, anxiety, shortness of breath, pale skin, blueness in the mouth, lethargy - all these symptoms quickly progress and lead to suffocation. The child must receive immediate medical attention
Before the ambulance arrives, parents need to free the child from tight clothing and give an antiallergic drug in the form of syrup in accordance with the age dosage (for example, Claritin). Take the baby to the bathroom, turn on hot water and ask to inhale the steam generated from the water.
Also, lethargy, apathy, high fever, and nausea at this age can occur due to childhood infections.
For example, such as: rubella, chicken pox, scarlet fever.
If lethargy and vomiting appear in a child without fever, you should definitely consult a doctor. Perhaps this is an intestinal infection or a disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. Head injuries can also cause these symptoms. Drug poisoning should not be ruled out.
Important! All medications available in the house must be stored out of the reach of children. A baby may eat brightly coated tablets, mistaking them for tasty candy.
Also, if lethargy appears without fever, increased drowsiness, or weakness, it is necessary to reconsider the child’s daily routine and nutrition. Perhaps he consumes few vitamins and protein foods. Or does not get enough sleep, feels overexerted and heavy load At school.
You should always consult a doctor if lethargy appears in a child of any age. Especially in combination with high temperature, vomiting and weakness. If the above symptoms appear in infants and newborns, you should immediately call an ambulance. Special attention requires a condition in infants during teething: various infections can be associated with it.
Drowsiness is a feeling of tiredness, lethargy and the desire to sleep or simply do nothing. This condition occurs normally with severe mental or physical fatigue.
Physiological drowsiness is a signal from the brain that it needs a break from the flow of information, that the body’s inhibitory systems have activated the protective mode and reduce the reaction rate, begin to dull the perception of external stimuli, block the senses and the cerebral cortex into a dormant mode.
Signs of drowsiness:
yawning, decreased visual acuity;
dulling of perception (decreased sensitivity of peripheral analyzers);
decrease in the number of heart contractions;
decreased secretion of glands and dryness of the mucous membranes (salivary - dry mouth, lacrimal - sticking of the eyes).
However, there are also conditions in which drowsiness is a pathological deviation or even threatens serious problems for the body.
Why do you always want to sleep?
The main reasons for constant drowsiness:
mental or physical fatigue;
diseases internal organs, which provoke the accumulation of substances in the blood that affect the activity of the cerebral cortex;
endocrine pathologies;
traumatic brain injuries;
brain pathologies with damage to the centers responsible for sleep;
strengthening of inhibitory reactions in the central nervous system and the predominance of inhibition over excitation, including the impact toxic substances and taking some medicines;
oxygen starvation (hypoxia) of the cerebral cortex.
It is also worth paying attention to what kind of house a person lives in: are there any power lines or towers nearby? cellular communication, it is necessary to track how often and for how long a person speaks on a mobile phone.
Physiological activity
If a person is forced to stay awake for a long time, the central nervous system automatically turns on the braking mode. Even within one day:
when pain or tactile receptors are overloaded;
auditory (noise in the office, workshop);
visual (long stay in front of the TV or computer).
A person may fall, more than once, into short-term drowsiness or, as it is called, “trance”; in such cases, the usual alpha rhythm (daytime) is replaced by slow beta waves, which are characteristic of fast phase sleep (when watching dreams or falling asleep). This simple technique of putting a person into a trance is used by psychotherapists, hypnotists and scammers.
Drowsiness after eating
Many people feel sleepy after the lunch break - this can be explained quite simply. The bloodstream has a volume that exceeds the total volume of blood circulating through it. Therefore, the blood redistribution system always operates in accordance with the priority system. When gastrointestinal tract fills with food and begins to work hard, most of the blood is directed to it and circulates in the area of the liver, pancreas, gall bladder, intestines and stomach. Accordingly, the brain receives less oxygen during the period of active digestion, resulting in an economy mode when the cerebral cortex does not work with such activity as on an empty stomach. Because it works primary principle, why move actively if your stomach is full.
Trivial lack of sleep
A person cannot live without sleep. An adult is supposed to sleep at least 7-8 hours (although there are examples in history successful people, for whom 4 hours were enough to recuperate, for example, Alexander the Great or Napoleon Bonaparte). If a person is forcibly deprived of sleep, he will still periodically switch off, and sleep will be a few seconds. Therefore, to avoid the desire to sleep during the day, you should sleep at least 8 hours at night.
Stress
Another variant of physiological sleepiness is the body's response to stress. In the early stages of stress, a person is more likely to suffer from insomnia and increased excitability(release of adrenaline and cortisol by the adrenal glands), at the same time, with prolonged exposure to stress factors, the adrenal glands begin to deplete and reduce the secretion of hormones, the peak of their release also changes (thus, cortisol, which normally begins to be released at 5-6 in the morning, is maximally secreted by 9 -10 o'clock). A similar condition is observed in the presence of chronic adrenal insufficiency or due to prolonged use of glucocorticoids, and rheumatic disease can also be the cause.
Pregnancy
In pregnant women in the first trimester against the background of hormonal changes and toxicosis and in the last trimester, when natural inhibition of the cortex by placental hormones occurs, there may be episodes of prolonged sleep at night or manifestations of nap anxiety – don’t be afraid, this is a normal state.
Why does my baby sleep all the time?
It is known that newborns and children under 6 months most lives spent in sleep:
newborns - if a child is about 2 months old, he is able to spend about 18 hours a day in sleep without somatic diseases and neurological problems;
3-4 months – about 16-17 hours;
up to 6 months – 15-16 hours;
up to one year – the duration of sleep for a child up to one year is determined by the state of his nervous system, the daily routine in the family and the nature of nutrition, on average, this figure is about 11-14 hours.
A child needs such a long sleep time for one reason - he is born with an underdeveloped nervous system. The fact is that the complete formation of the brain inside the mother would not allow the baby to be born naturally due to the large size of the head.
Thus, while in a state of sleep, the child protects his body as much as possible from overloads of his own nervous system, which has the opportunity to continue to develop in a calm mode: at this time, the consequences of birth and intrauterine hypoxia are corrected, the formation of myelin nerve sheaths, which are responsible for the transmission of nerve impulses.
Many children are even able to eat in their sleep. Babies under six months of age wake up more from internal discomfort (wet diapers, cold, headache, intestinal colic, hunger).
A child’s drowsiness can go from normal to pathological as a result of the development of a serious illness:
if a child vomits, he for a long time no stool or, conversely, frequent loose stools;
temperature rises;
the child falls and hits his head, after which drowsiness, weakness, pallor or cyanosis develops skin, lethargy;
sucks on the breast or bottle for too long.
In such cases, it is necessary to immediately call an ambulance or take the child to the nearest reception center of the children's department.
Regarding children after one year, the cause of sleepiness above normal may be the same as in infants, and the list is supplemented by all somatic diseases and conditions that will be presented below.
Pathological drowsiness
Pathological drowsiness is also called pathological hypersomnia. It is characterized by an increase in sleep duration without objective needs. If a person who normally gets enough sleep in 8 hours begins to nod off at work, sleeps longer in the morning, or leans on the pillow during the daytime, this should lead to thoughts about the presence of problems in the body.
Chronic and acute infectious diseases
Exhaustion of physical strength or asthenia and mental strength are characteristic of the body after suffering severe chronic or acute diseases, especially of an infectious nature. During the period of recovery from a painful state, a person with asthenia may need longer rest, including the introduction of daytime sleep. The most obvious reason for this condition is the body's need to restore the immune system, which is facilitated by sleep (T-lymphocytes are restored during sleep). There is also a visceral theory, which suggests that in a dream the body tests the functioning of its own internal organs after suffering from a disease.
Anemia
Close to asthenia is a condition that is typical for patients with anemia (anemia, in which the level of hemoglobin and red blood cells is significantly reduced, respectively, this leads to a deterioration in the transport of oxygen to tissues and organs). In this case, drowsiness is a component of the program of hemic hypoxia of the brain (lethargy, decreased level of performance, memory impairment, the presence of dizziness and episodes of loss of consciousness). Most often present iron deficiency anemia(in the presence of chronic foci of inflammation, in the presence of hidden iron deficiency due to malabsorption or pregnancy, bleeding, vegetarianism). B-12 deficiency anemia is accompanied by infection with the broad lancelet, starvation, pathologies of the stomach and its resection.
Atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels
Another reason oxygen starvation brain is atherosclerosis of its vessels. When the vessels that supply blood to the brain become overgrown with plaques in more than 50% of their lumen, ischemia is observed. If the cerebrovascular accident is chronic:
then, in addition to drowsiness, the patient may suffer from headaches;
unsteadiness when walking;
decreased memory and hearing;
tinnitus;
at acute disorders blood flow, a stroke develops (ischemic with thrombosis and hemorrhagic with rupture of blood vessels). Harbingers of a dangerous condition are drowsiness, noise in the head, and impaired thinking.
In the elderly, cerebral atherosclerosis can develop quite slowly and gradually impair the nutrition of the cerebral cortex. It is for this reason that for most elderly people, daytime sleep (drowsiness) is an obligatory companion and to some extent even softens the end of life, gradually reducing the amount of blood that is supplied to the brain to such an extent that the vasomotor and respiratory centers of the medulla oblongata are switched off.
Idiopathic hypersomnia
Idiopathic hypersomnia is an independent disease that in most cases develops in young people. This condition is distinguished by the absence of other causes, and the diagnosis is established by exclusion. A tendency to daytime sleepiness begins to develop. There are moments of falling asleep during relaxed wakefulness. They are not sudden and not as severe as in the case of narcolepsy. The time it takes to fall asleep in the evening is also reduced. Waking up is different from the norm, it is more difficult, and aggressiveness may be observed. Patients with this pathology begin to gradually lose family and social ties, and their professional skills and ability to work weaken.
Narcolepsy:
variant of hypersomnia with an increase in daytime sleep time;
restless sleep at night;
episodes of irresistible falling asleep throughout the day at any time;
episodes of apnea, muscle weakness, loss of consciousness;
patients constantly feel sleep deprived;
Hallucinations may also occur when waking up and falling asleep.
This pathology differs in that, unlike the phase of physiological sleep, it occurs immediately, and quite often this happens suddenly without first slowly falling asleep. This option is a lifelong disease.
Increased drowsiness due to poisoning
Chronic or acute poisoning of the body, which most affects the cortex and subcortex, stimulation of the reticular formation, which provides inhibitory processes with the help of toxic substances or medications, leads to severe prolonged drowsiness not only at night, but also during the daytime.
Alcohol is the most common household poison. Following the stage of excitement during intoxication medium degree severity (about 1.5-2.5% blood alcohol) in most cases a sleep stage develops, which may be preceded by severe drowsiness.
Smoking, in addition to spasms, leads to a deterioration in the supply of oxygen to the cerebral cortex, which contributes to constant inflammation and internal irritation choroid, accordingly, this process provokes the development of atherosclerotic plaques and their cracking with subsequent thrombosis of the vascular bed, including cerebral arteries. Thus, about 30% of smokers experience constant loss of strength and drowsiness. It is worth noting that during the refusal bad habit drowsiness is also a possible manifestation.
Psychotropic substances (antidepressants, tranquilizers, antipsychotics) also provoke severe drowsiness, which becomes chronic with prolonged use of drugs or addiction to the drugs. Long-term use of sleeping pills (especially from the group of barbiturates) and increased doses of sedatives provokes drowsiness due to the activation of inhibitory processes in the central nervous system.
Drugs also provoke sleepy states, especially for substances of the morphine-like group.
Suppression of the central nervous system against the background of pathologies of internal organs
Chronic heart failure
Insufficiency big circle leads to a deficiency of cerebral circulation, which is manifested by the development of chronic oxygen starvation of the cerebral cortex, severe daytime drowsiness and difficulty falling asleep and worsening night sleep.
Encephalopathy
Encephalopathy in the program hypertension and symptomatic arterial hypertension- this is a frequent culprit not only of increased talkativeness, decreased criticism, but also inhibitory reactions in the cortex, which are combined with an increased need for sleep.
Kidney diseases
Renal pathologies (hydronephrosis, pyelonephritis, interstitial nephritis, glomerulonephritis) is accompanied by chronic or acute renal failure and the accumulation of nitrogenous waste in the blood, which can also cause lethargy and abnormally long sleep.
Liver diseases
Hepatocellular failure with chronic hepatitis, liver cancer, cirrhosis makes it difficult to wash the blood of protein metabolic products. As a result, the blood contains substances toxic to the brain in high concentrations. Serotonin is also synthesized and there is a decrease in sugar in brain tissue. Pyruvic and lactic acids begin to accumulate, which provokes the development of cortical edema and hyperventilation of the lungs; the consequence of such a disorder is a deterioration in blood transport to the brain. As intoxication increases, drowsiness can lead to coma.
Intoxication due to the presence of infections
Neuroinfections
Neuroinfections against the background of fungal infections, tick-borne encephalitis, rabies, herpes, influenza may be accompanied by headaches, lethargy, drowsiness, fever and specific neurological symptoms.
Dehydration
Dehydration due to further loss of electrolytes and water through vomiting or diarrhea reduces the volume of blood circulating throughout the body. circulatory system, and provokes drowsiness and weakness.
Intestinal obstruction, shock, bleeding
Massive bleeding and shock of various origins, the presence of intestinal obstruction provoke the deposition of blood in the area abdominal cavity, accordingly, the cerebral blood supply is depleted, resulting in drowsiness.
Malignant tumors
Cancer exhaustion and intoxication of the body with decay products of malignant tumors also reduce a person’s level of vigor and provoke drowsiness against a background of exhaustion.
Mental disorders
Mental disorders (depression, cyclothymia) and neurological diseases may cause drowsiness.
Endocrine causes
Hypothyroidism is the most characteristic lesion glands internal secretion, in which there is increased drowsiness, loss of interest in life and impoverishment of emotions. Hypothyroidism may occur after radiation or surgical removal thyroid gland, thyroiditis. A decrease in thyroid hormone levels affects metabolic processes in the body, therefore the brain starves, the accumulation of fluid in its tissues leads to swelling of the convolutions and a decrease in integrative abilities.
Hypocorticism (adrenal insufficiency) leads to decreased blood pressure, stool instability, decreased body weight, decreased appetite, increased drowsiness and fatigue.
Diabetes mellitus can not only affect brain vessels of different sizes, but also creates all the conditions for an unstable balance of carbohydrates. Fluctuations in insulin and blood sugar (with unbalanced treatment) can lead to hyper- and hypoclimic, as well as ketoacidotic states, which provoke cortical damage and cause an increase in encephalopathy, which involves daytime sleepiness.
Brain injuries
A concussion, brain contusion, hemorrhage in the meninges or in the substance of the brain is accompanied by various disorders of consciousness, including stupor, which resembles a prolonged sleep and threatens to transition into a coma.
Sopor
One of the most mysterious and interesting disorders that manifests itself when the patient falls into a prolonged sleepy state, with depression of all vital signs observed (skin and pupil reflexes are absent, the heartbeat slows down, breathing slows down and weakens so much that it is difficult to determine).
Translated from Greek, “lethargy” means “abbenia.” Various nations have many legends about people who were buried alive. Most often, lethargy (which does not act as sleep in pure form, but only by a significant inhibition of the autonomic functions of the body and the cerebral cortex) develops:
against the background of infectious processes that are accompanied by intoxication or dehydration;
with nervous exhaustion;
fasting;
mental illnesses.
N.V. suffered from a similar disorder. Gogol. Repeatedly throughout his life, he fell into a prolonged lethargic sleep (apparently, arose against the background of anorexia and neurotic disorders). According to one version of the writer’s death, he did not die his own death; before that, after suffering and inadequate treatment of typhoid fever or due to loss of strength and starvation due to the death of his wife, he fell into a lethargic sleep and was subsequently buried. This is evidenced by the results of the exhumation of the writer’s body, during which it was discovered that the head of the deceased was turned to the side, and the lid of the coffin was scratched from the inside.
Therefore, if you are concerned about the presence of causeless fatigue and drowsiness, the causes of which are quite varied, you need to undergo a thorough diagnosis and consult with specialists to find out the causes of such disorders.
