Sleep is crucial to our everyday functioning—just think about how you feel the day after a sleepless night of tossing and turning compared to a peaceful eight to nine hours of slumber. Shutting ourselves down and falling asleep is how our bodies naturally repair from the day that was and prepare for tomorrow.
What happens during sleep has lasting effects on our health, and this is true for adults and children. When we think about sleep disorders, we typically think of adults suffering from sleep apnea, loud snoring or sleep walking. But these common sleep problems also affect children and their health.
Reports show that up to 40 percent of children will experience a sleep problem at some point between infancy and adolescence. Common sleep problems in children include:
Parasomnia (14 to 40 percent), a class of sleep disorders that involve abnormal movements or behaviors during sleep. Around 14 percent of children experience sleep walking and 40 percent experience confusional arousal (awaking from sleep and remaining in a confused state).
Habitual snoring (5 to 12 percent), which can be a sign of other health problems
Restless legs (2 percent)
Obstructive sleep apnea (1 to 4 percent), which manifests as pauses in breathing during sleep. These pauses put a strain on the heart and lead to poor quality sleep.
The rates of sleep disorders are even higher in children with developmental disorders, psychiatric disorders and chronic medical problems.
Diagnosing Pediatric Sleep Disorders
Not only are sleep disorders more common in children than we might think, they can also be more difficult to spot.
Snoring, pauses in breathing, restless sleep and excessive daytime sleepiness are common symptoms of sleep apnea in adults. Children often demonstrate the same symptoms during sleep, but sometimes display the opposite behaviors during the day. They may be hyperactive, act out or display behavioral problems, and have difficulty concentrating in school. Some children with sleep apnea also report headaches in the morning.
Spotting some of the symptoms of sleep apnea is made tougher by the fact that many children sleep in their own rooms where adults are not around to witness their snoring or pauses in breathing. This is also true for restless legs, as well as the less obvious signs of parasomnia like awaking in a confused state.
Sleep disorders reduce the quality of sleep that children (and adults) receive, so signs of problems during sleep should be evaluated by a pediatrician or sleep specialist. They will take a detailed history and perform a physical exam. They may also order a sleep study— an overnight test performed at a sleep center. A sleep technician will record a child’s breathing, body movements, heart rate, brainwaves, and oxygen levels while they sleep. This information allows doctors to determine if there is an underlying sleep disorder that needs treatment.
Good Sleep Hygiene
Everyone, children and adults, can live healthier lives and receive better quality sleep by practicing good sleep hygiene.
Good sleep hygiene begins with getting the right amount of sleep, typically 14-16 hours per night for infants and 8-10 hours for teenagers. The “right” amount of sleep is specific to each person, and what counts as too little sleep for one person might be just enough for another person.
Some basic principles to keep in mind when practicing good sleep hygiene include:
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Maintain a consistent sleep schedule, especially getting up at the same time every morning.
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Create a comfortable sleeping environment free from noises, light and things that disrupt sleep. For children, this may include removing pets from the bedroom.
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Institute a relaxing bedtime routine. Having a routine helps give the body clues to know that it’s bedtime.
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Limit things like caffeine less than four hours before bed, exercise close to bedtime, and especially screen time. TVs, tablets, computers and smart phones emit blue light that mimics natural sunlight. Exposure to this light before bedtime disrupts our circadian rhythms and makes it more difficult to sleep.
For more information on getting a good night’s sleep, visit sleepeducation.org.
Dr. Andrew Hong is a sleep medicine physician at The Vancouver Clinic’s Columbia Tech Center location. He treats both adult and pediatric patients with various sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, narcolepsy, insomnia, parasomnias and restless leg syndrome.
