5 Things to Know and Do When Your Child is Frequently Tired

We often find children complaining about being tired, be it due to a busy day at school or lack of sleep the day before. While tiredness is a very common problem in children and usually poses no threat, there are still a few things every parent should know and do if the child is frequently tired or suffering from chronic fatigue.

Sleeping Problem 

Ideally, a child should get between 8 to 10 hours of sleep. Staying awake till late night for homework and again waking up in the morning for school can be a major cause of tiredness in children. Conditions like sleep disorder or sleep apnea can also cause tiredness in children.

Medications

If your child is taking medications of a particular allergy, it can result in some dizziness or sleepiness.

Chronic Illnesses like Asthma

When chronic conditions such as asthma are poorly controlled, they can result in shortness of breath making your child feel tired.

Anemia

Shortage of red blood cells in the body means less oxygen is being carried to the cells in the body. This can be a major factor for causing fatigue in children.

Depression or Other Mental Problems

Young children often feel life is being hard on them, it can be due to a scolding from the teacher or failing in any of the subjects. This can make them stressed out leading to depression as well as other health problems, finally causing chronic fatigue.

As a parent, it is extremely important to take immediate action if your child has been continuously complaining about tiredness for a week or more. Keep the following points in mind:

1. Question your child about his/her sleeping habits and if there’s anything that is causing them anxiety or stress. Ask them how long they’ve have been suffering from it along with the associated symptoms.
2. Take your child for a proper physical examination and check for weight, growth and other physical abnormalities.
3. Schedule a visit to the doctor at the earliest and brief the doctor about the problem your child is facing.
4. Based on the doctor’s diagnosis and recommendation, get your child’s blood test, imaging such as X-ray or MRI, or even a full body health check-up.
5. If the fatigue is due to the stress of homework and other school activities, talk to your child’s teacher to discuss more about the problem.

Children should always be cheerful, playful and happy. If by chance your child is suffering from fatigue, the above mentioned steps will help you to find the root cause of the problem and improve your child’s overall health.