Sleep is very important for the health and development of kids because it influences everything from physical growth to brain functioning to emotional balance and immune strength. In today’s fast-paced world, paediatric sleep disorders are becoming increasingly common because it is raising concerns for parents and healthcare professionals. Sleep disorders are consistently affecting millions of children across the world and sleep disturbances can lead to daytime drowsiness, problems in behaviour, and learning challenges and if it has been left untreated it will even lead to long-term health issues. During sleep, the brain of the children will be consolidating memories, processing information and creating neural connections which further will be successful in eliminating waste and promoting good health. So, a good night’s sleep is very important for children as recommended by the child specialist which is the main reason that eliminating the struggle from the life of the kids will be very important to avoid any kind of problem.
Following are the common sleep disorders that you need to know:
- Insomnia: This will be all about having difficulty falling asleep or remaining asleep.
- Sleep apnoea: This will be breathing interruptions during the sleeping tenure.
- RLS: This is the uncomfortable sensation due to the urge to move the legs.
- Parasomnia: This is the abnormal behaviour during sleep for example night terror and sleepwalking.
- Circardian Rhythem disorder: This is the alignment of the internal clock which leads to multiple issues in the long run, if left untreated.
- Delay In Sleep phase syndrome: This is very common in adolescents where the sleep will be delayed by approximately 2+ hours.
Any kind of poor or interrupted sleep will affect the ability of the brain to perform important developmental tasks and the following are some of the points that you need to know:
1. Cognitive impairment:
Proper sleep will play a very important role in consolidating memory, improving learning and supporting brain development specifically during childhood whenever the brain is rapidly evolving. When the child will be experiencing the disruption or inadequate sleep due to sleep disorder it will be significantly impairing their cognitive functions. Children with chronic sleep issues will normally struggle with attention, concentration and problem-solving which is the main reason that you need to get in touch with the specialist in this case to avoid any kind of further issues.
2. Emotional and behavioural issues:
Sleep disorders in kids will not only lead to tiredness but also will be significantly impacting their emotional health and behaviour. When a child is not getting the proper restorative sleep the brain will struggle to regulate the mood and stress response further leading to an increase in irritation, mood swings and emotional outbursts. Some of the common behavioural symptoms linked with sleep disturbance will be hyperactivity, impulsive behaviour and attention. All of these issues are usually mistaken for the conditions like ADHD which is the main reason that consulting the child specialist will be important to avoid any wrong diagnosis.
3. Delay in motor skills and coordination:
High-quality sleep is very important for the motor development and physical coordination of the kids because, during the deep sleep stage, the brain will be consolidating the muscle memory and will be processing the motor learning with the repairment of the tissue. Children who are facing the problem of sleep disorder will normally experience fragmented and insufficient sleep which will usually interfere with the critical processes. As a result, the children will be showing a delay in reaching motor milestones for example crawling, working and writing. Disturbance in sleep will have a significant long-term impact on the physical capabilities, confidence and participation in the social activities of kids which is the main reason that early diagnosis treatment is very important to minimise such issues.
4. Risk of neurological disorders:
The doctors at women hospitals also recommend you take neurological disorder risk very seriously because when the brain is rapidly growing and performing complex connections, chronic disturbance of sleep will disrupt the processes and will potentially increase the risk of developing the neurological disorders. Studies in this case have very well shown that sleep disorders will be prone to conditions like autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy and migraine which will lead to issues like anxiety and depression. Poor sleep in this case will affect the ability of the brain to regulate emotions, concentrate and process information.
Some of the most common treatment options for paediatric sleep disorders are:
- Behavioural therapy: This is very successful in the cases of insomnia and delay in sleep because it will be very important to show excellent results in children and adolescent
- Sleep hygiene education: Teaching the kids about good sleeping habits will be very much important for example consistent bedtime routine, screen feeding zone and reduction of caffeine is the first line of treatment.
- Pharmacological intervention: This point is very much important to be taken seriously because the medication will be prescribed in such cases and however things should be carefully monitored so that there is no chance of any kind of problem and further ensuring the compliance with the prescription of doctor is very much important.
- Treatment of underlining conditions: In some of the cases these CPAP machine will be recommended in the kids to improve the breathing and further iron supplements will also be very much successful in terms of dealing with the problem of RLS.
- Parental training: Sometimes the bedtime practices of the caregivers will require modification which is the main reason that paediatrician will be educating the parents about setting boundaries and establishing the bedtime rituals.
Apart from the points mentioned above it is very much recommended that parents reduce their screen time and doctors at pregnancy hospital also recommend that parents take their sleep schedule very seriously by addressing their emotional well-being. Taking professional help early whenever required will be highly recommended and further, if your child is struggling with sleep then you should never hesitate to seek guidance. Following the best piece of advice with the help of a neurologist will be always making sure that identification and diagnosis of the sleeping issues will be done and you can take the best action for your brain, body and brighter tomorrow.
