“Why does my son always wake up in the middle of the night?”

There are numerous reasons why your son wakes up in the middle of the night: insomnia, reflux, apnea. A proper evaluation by a sleep specialist is needed if this is becoming a consistent problem.

The answer to this is unfortunately extremely complex. The first bit of needed data is the age of your child. Normal is different as children grow up. Sleep habits, external stimuli such as noise or light, medications, pain, and anxiety can all cause awakenings. To do a proper evaluation will require a visit with your pediatrician or a sleep specialist who specializes in children. Behavioral therapy is often extremely useful, and often the behavioral therapy is directed at the parent as much as the child. It is normal for children to awaken briefly, but they should be able to easily send themselves back to sleep. You would most likely in that circumstance not be aware that this awakening happened. Long awakenings can result from less than ideal sleep centered interaction between parent and child.