Sleep Disorders in Children

Sleep Disorders in Children

As many as 30 different sleep disorders are described in children.
Some of them are:

• Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea
• Apnea of infancy
• Apnea of prematurity
• Night-time bedwetting
• Nocturnal gastro-esophageal reflux with asthma
• Sleep-walking
• Confusional arousals
• Nocturnal seizures
• Narcolepsy
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Chronic fatigue due to non-restorative sleep
• Delayed sleep phase syndrome

Symptoms of sleep disorders in children may go unnoticed for a long time. There can be some things that occur in the daytime or at night that may alert a parent to the possibility of a sleep disorder in their child. Some of them are:

• Difficulty waking up in the morning
• Easily falling asleep on the way to or from school
• Falling asleep in the classroom
• Fatigue
• Cranky baby or child
• Weight gain or weight loss
• Moodiness
• Headaches
• Snoring or mouth breathing during sleep
• Bedwetting during sleep
• Recurrent upper respiratory infections or tonsillitis
• Asthma, particularly exertional form of asthma
• Deteriorating performance at school or athletics
• Depression or behavioral disorders
• Sleep-walking or Confusional arousal