Types of Sleep Disorders in Children
Sleep can be a battle between many parents and their children from the time they are born. This causes many parents to dismiss signs of sleep disorders when their children grow as misbehavior, normal infancy or even blame the diet. These are the common sleep disorders found in infants and children:
Parasomnias
This refers to anything abnormal that happens during sleep, other than obstructive sleep apnea. It can take many different forms and often occurs during the sleep cycle, but can also happen as the child is falling asleep. This might manifest as sleepwalking, abrupt or partial awakenings, sleep talking or nightmares.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea or OSA, is often found in adults as an obstruction of the upper airway. The interruption of the respiratory system causes the body to not get sufficient oxygen while sleeping and even causes pauses in breathing altogether.1 In children, the cause is often different and due to enlarged tonsils and adenoids between the ages of 2 and 8. However, it can happen at any time and impacts between 1 and 5 percent of children.2
Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome
Does this scenario sound familiar? A teen falls asleep every night at midnight and has difficulty waking up the next morning at their normal time. While this may seem like typical behavior of that age range, it can actually be a sign of a sleep disorder known as Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome.
Hypersomnia
This often manifests as narcolepsy, but it is essentially excessive daytime sleepiness. At most extremes, it can be seen as hallucinations and falling asleep at sporadic times during the day.
Movement Disorder
You may have seen many commercials for restless leg syndrome in adults, but it can occur in children as well. It can also include periodic leg movements, Bruxism or leg cramps. All of which can impact falling or staying asleep, even if the child does not notice these movements.
Symptoms
Because there are many different types of sleep disorders, it can be challenging to pinpoint exactly what your child may have just by their symptoms. It can also be difficult to recognize an issue, as sleep patterns naturally change throughout different developmental changes. However, here are some of the common signs to be aware of if you think your child may have a sleep disorder.
It’s often different from adults because of how it manifests in their behavior, without always being able to tell you what the problem is.
- Snoring
- Comments of feeling like they have bugs crawling on them at night
- Frequent night terrors
- Daytime moodiness
- Lack of focus
- Poor performance in school
- Failure to thrive
- Behavioral problems
- Bedwetting
Treatment
Parents are encouraged to seek guidance from their physician about their child’s sleep habits. It is standard practice for doctors to ask about sleep at the well child visit. It may be helpful to keep a diary log of your child’s sleep behaviors before this so you can accurately describe what you have been noticing in their sleep habits for the appointment. Depending on what symptoms you are describing, they may recommend having a sleep study performed to get to the root of the issue. These are simple overnight tests and you are able to accompany your child for the night during the study. Dr. Mostafavi, a sleep expert, says this about their sleep clinics, “We make our in-center sleep studies cozy to ensure you have a normal sleep to get accurate testing.”
Here are some of the treatments often given to children with a sleep disorder.
- Adenoid or tonsil removal (if needed)
- CPAP Therapy (if needed)
- Medications or supplements
- Referral to an Ear Nose and Throat specialist
- Orthodontics
- Creating an established nighttime routine
- Helping with stress relief
- Creating a sleep-friendly room
Common Questions
How old does my child need to be in order to undergo a sleep study?
We begin conducting sleep studies on children as young as 1 year old.
How much sleep do children need?
The amount needed varies as children grow. For a breakdown of the amount needed at each stage, click here.
Can my child’s education be impacted by their sleep?
Unfortunately, yes. Sleep is incredibly important to brain health. Kids with sleeping problems perform more poorly in both math and language than well-rested students.3
What health issues can be impacted by my child having a sleep disorder?
Early on in childhood, a sleep disorder may lead to obesity, depression and ADHD.
Can I stay with my child for an overnight sleep study?
Absolutely. In fact, we require anyone under the age of 18 to be accompanied by a guardian at all times.
Getting your child’s sleep disorder diagnosed and treated when they are young is vital when it comes to their long-term health prognosis. Let us help get them on the right track to a healthy lifestyle. Contact us today!
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine. International Classification of Sleep Disorders: Diagnostic and Coding Manual. 2nd ed. Westchester, Ill.: American Academy of Sleep Medicine; 2005.
- Marcus CL, Brooks LJ, Draper KA, et al.; American Academy of Pediatrics. Diagnosis and management of childhood obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Pediatrics. 2012;130(3):e714–e755.
- Luciane Bizari Coin de Carvalho, et al. “Symptoms of sleep disorders and objective academic performance.” Sleep Medicine Journal.
Comments
Vishal
Posted on March 05, 2019I found this blog post really very helpful. Keep it up. Big thumb up for this blog post.
vishal
Posted on March 05, 2019Really very helpful stuff.
Kunal
Posted on June 17, 2019It’s really amazing. Thanks.
Kunal
Posted on June 17, 2019Great Info.
John
Posted on June 22, 2019Thanks for the info.
Lola
Posted on June 22, 2019Loving the info on this site, you have done great job on the posts.
Shilpa
Posted on June 22, 2019Hi..I am the regular visitor of your website. Its really very informative and impressive. Thanks a lot for sharing.
Jasmine
Posted on July 06, 2019Thanks for the information.
Seth
Posted on August 16, 2019A helpful intro to the pediatric side. Cool portable CPAP charger with roll-up solar panel too!
Elastic man
Posted on June 30, 2022This is the information I am looking for. They are really important to me. Thanks for sharing
temple run
Posted on August 23, 2022I’ll have to follow you since the information you present is really real, reflecting correctly and objectively, and it’s quite useful for society to grow together.
play snake
Posted on November 09, 2022I have bookmarked your website because this site contains valuable information in it. I am really happy with articles quality and presentation. Thanks a lot for keeping great stuff. I am very much thankful for this site.
Cincinatti
Posted on November 30, 2022The interruption of the respiratory system causes the body to not get sufficient oxygen while sleeping and even causes pauses in breathing altogether.
Akron
Posted on March 10, 2023This often manifests as narcolepsy, but it is essentially excessive daytime sleepiness.
SABRI
Posted on April 13, 2023A great information
zahra
Posted on May 20, 2023This information really helps me as a mother of a toddler.
javeria
Posted on May 20, 2023I have faced this issue with my new born thanks for your blog really help me.
FastMoneyNow
Posted on May 24, 2023check this is out if you want to make money from home doing absoluelty nothing
Adam
Posted on May 27, 2023Very interesting! I really appreciate you discussing this kind of matter.
panneau photovoltaique
Posted on October 11, 2023Very informative article if you need solar panel installation service do check this out.
installation des panneaux solaires
Posted on October 11, 2023interesting article if you need solar panel installation service do check this out.