What are common pediatric sleep disorders?
Up to 30% of infants and children experience temporary or chronic sleep disorders. Some of the most common pediatric sleep disorders include:
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Central sleep apnea
- Delayed sleep phase
- Narcolepsy and other disorders causing sleepiness
- Parasomnia
- Periodic limb movement
- Sleep-related hypoventilation or hypoxia
Sufficient amounts of high-quality sleep are critical to your child’s health and development. In addition to serving adults, the board-certified sleep medicine experts at Academy Diagnostics offer customized pediatric sleep medicine for infants, children, and adolescents.
What are the signs that my child has a sleep disorder?
As a parent, you can tell when your little one didn’t get a good night’s sleep. While an occasional night of disrupted sleep isn’t necessarily something to worry about, continued sleep problems can cause problems. Some of the warning signs of pediatric sleep disorders include:
- Daytime moodiness
- Tearfulness
- Trouble waking up and getting moving in the morning
- Sleepiness at school
- Reduced concentration
- Learning problems
- Snoring
- Waking up throughout the night
- Behavior issues
- Bed-wetting
- Sleepwalking or nightmares
If your child has any of these symptoms, contact Academy Diagnostics to schedule an assessment. They offer comprehensive exams and sleep studies to identify the issue interfering with your child’s sleep.
How can pediatric sleep medicine help my child?
Academy Diagnostics provides customized treatment to help your child sleep better. Depending on the specific sleep disorder and any underlying causes, your physician might recommend treatments including:
- Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
- Light therapy
- Medications
In addition to providing expert pediatric sleep medicine, the physicians at Academy Diagnostics can also help you implement good bedtime routines to help your child get better sleep.
For example, you should follow the same routine every night and set aside 20-30 minutes to help your child settle down and get ready to sleep.
Some children might try to push their boundaries to stay up, but you should do your best to remain consistent at bedtime.
Your routine should be relaxing, but it shouldn’t involve watching television or using a computer or tablet. If your child has a bedtime snack, make sure it doesn’t include caffeine or too much sugar.
Call Academy Diagnostics or make an appointment online today for pediatric sleep medicine services.
