Why is teething worse at night

Remember how frequently a tooth emerges? Once a month, on average, for a couple of years, in early childhood. People attributed severe illness and death to teething out of pure coincidence and a lack of systematic and logical approach to documenting and evaluating natural phenomena. So it became widely accepted that teething was a source of fever, diarrhea, vomiting, seizures, tetanus and meningitis, to name just a few, and even death.

It was not uncommon for teething to be listed as the cause of death in children prior to the late 19th century. They also found that no specific symptom occurred in more than 35 percent of teething infants. What a nightmare for parents. Symptoms were only significantly more frequent in the 4 days before a tooth emergence, the day of the emergence, and 3 days after it, so this 8-day window was defined as the teething period.

Increased biting, drooling, gum-rubbing, sucking, irritability, wakefulness, ear-rubbing, facial rash, decreased appetite for solid foods, and mild temperature elevation were all statistically associated with teething. Congestion, sleep disturbance, stool looseness, increased stool number, decreased appetite for liquids, cough, rashes other than facial rashes, fever over degrees F, and vomiting were not significantly associated with tooth emergence.

Basically, kids may have a mild increase in temperature due to inflammation prior to cutting a tooth, but not a high fever- that is usually related to something else! The best way to soothe a teething baby is just with some TLC tender loving care. Snuggles, nursing often if you are breastfeeding, and throw in some frozen teething rings for good measure. This section will be heavily based in science regarding other remedies like homeopathics, amber necklaces, and numbing gels.

On the back of a homeopathic preparation, active ingredients are not listed in milligrams. Instead, they are listed as a number and letter, such as 24X, 60X, or X. These indicate ratios of active ingredients to other ingredients. An example: in a liquid preparation with a 6X ingredient, there is 0. The higher the number, followed by the X, the more dilute the ingredient.

Standard medical literature finds little if any evidence that homeopathy works at all. Non-homeopathic health practitioners generally believe that if a product is so dilute that it contains no active ingredient, it can have no effect except as a placebo sugar pill. You can read more about the effectiveness of homeopathic remedies on the poison control website. Claims surrounding these accessories center around things like energy, thyroid stimulation to control drooling, and release of succinic acid.

Unfortunately, none of those claims are founded in evidence based science. You can read more in this article from a physician regarding amber teething accessories.

The AAP has information about the hazard of using these as well. Numbing gels often contain an ingredient called Benzocaine. These products have been used for years, but in May , the FDA declared that over-the-counter OTC benzocaine products are a serious risk to children and infants and said that these products should be taken off the market. These products can cause a condition called methemoglobinemia.

This is a potentially deadly condition that causes blood to carry less oxygen. Signs of methemoglobinemia may show either minutes or hours after the use of lidocaine products.

Symptoms include:. According to the study linked above regarding teething symptoms, more serious symptoms, such as sleep awakenings, decreased appetite for solid foods, facial rashes, and slightly elevated temperatures but not above degrees , were more likely to occur one or two days before or on the same days a tooth came through. But this study found no really serious symptoms associated with teething—no diarrhea, vomiting, high fevers, or reductions in the overall duration of sleep.

Again, no significant reductions in overall duration of sleep. Is teething more painful at night? Sort of. This could be because children feel the symptoms of pain and discomfort most acutely when they have fewer distractions, and are exhausted. Another reason pain may seem worse at night has to do with the increased levels of two cytokines that were found in the study referenced above.

IL-1beta and TNFalpha are cytokines that were found to correlate with fever and sleep disturbances in teething babies. Research has found that these signaling molecules have a direct impact on sleep, interacting with hormones and neurotransmitters that signal sleep-regulating neurons in the brain.

This is when we want to make sure that we are still providing a good baby sleep schedule and have realistic expectations for baby sleeping through the night. The evidence suggests that teething should not be so painful that you cannot comfort your child. If your child is crying without any end in sight, then that could indicate something else is going on and you should consult with your physician! Teething pain should not require medical treatment.

If your child is experiencing extreme pain or has a high fever, teething is probably not the cause and you should contact a medical professional. A medical professional may suggest a dosage of Tylenol or Ibuprofen over 6 months of age.

When a tooth is erupting, there may be increased pressure which can cause ear pain like when they have an ear infection. You will want to rule that out for sure. If you're considering starting a new routine, it's best to wait days for the acute teething to pass, but if you're just trying to make it through the night, providing a little extra comfort can go a long way. Feed or rock your baby to help soothe them, but try to allow your baby to ultimately fall asleep independently. Your best bet during these years is to help your baby learn to self-soothe, so she can fall back asleep on her own.

How to Get Your Newborn to Sleep. June 03, Christina Alario. Continue browsing here. Variant Title has been added to your shopping cart. View Cart or Checkout Now. Variant Title has been removed from your shopping cart. Saves All Bundles. Blog Zen Blog Manasi's Blog. Cutting teeth and losing sleep: 8 bedtime relievers.

How to avoid a teething nightmare Studies show that less sleep heightens a child's sensitivity to pain, so it's for your sweet baby's sake to be getting as much sleep as possible while going through the ups and downs of teething. How to get a jump on bedtime Easing the pain soon after it begins can help reduce discomfort at nighttime. Keep it chill Treat swollen gums with a cool washcloth or give your baby a chilled not frozen teething ring to provide relief.

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