Sleep Disorders in Children and Adolescents
Many people battle the obstacle of having a sleep disorder. In fact, some don’t even know that they are suffering from one, or just think they are a restless or very late sleeper; it could be something as little as very bad snoring. But what they probably realize is that these sleep struggles and habits which could potentially be a serious matter, takes a toll on their level of functioning throughout their lives and their daytime sleepiness. While some may think sleep disorders mainly occur in adulthood, it is also common in children and adolescents, and can be caused by unhealthy environments, poor sleep hygiene, or subtle or very physical abnormalities; ultimately, leading to negative impacts on children and adolescents emotional health and performance throughout the day.
Assessing for Sleeps Disorders
There is a long list of sleep disorders that fall under the categories of insomnia, hypersomnia, parasomnias, restless legs syndrome (uncomfortable feelings while sleeping) and sleep apnea. To determine if one is struggling with one of these, it is important to look for symptoms, and there are many ways to do this. Patients can obtain witness reports from housemates, parents, or “a collateral history from a bed partner” (Rourke, Anderson, 2014). They would report signs of sleep apnea (excessive snoring) or parasomnias such as walking, restlessness driving, talking, texting, violent actions, acting out dreams, eating, all while being asleep, and not being able to react to stimuli (Rourke, Anderson, 2014). Patients can also log their sleep habits, including how many times they wake up through the night, what time they go to sleep, if they are up all night and can’t fall asleep (insomnia) and what they wake up, tiredness during the day (hypersomnia) or following a sleep scale known as the Epworth Sleep Scale where patients will rate how likely they are to fall asleep in certain situations, or undergo a sleep study in a laboratory (Rourke, Anderson, 2014). These histories of sleep habits and tests can help determine if someone is struggling from a sleep problem.
There are many causes of sleep disorders and ways they can be treated. Some of these causes include poor sleep hygiene. Rourke and Anderson (2014) list some reasons such as drinking, eating late meals, smoking, and late night exercising. Adjusting these habits can help better sleep problems. Additionally treatments include a mask that fits over a sleep apnea patients mouth and nose, and “blows a constant stream of air to splint open the airway, and prevent the collapse that causes apnea,” drugs such as hypnotics like temazepam and zopiclone, and cognitive behavioral therapy (Rourke, Anderson, 2014).
Children and Adolescents with Sleep Disorders
Not only adults are affected with sleep disorders, children are too. Kotagal and Pianosi( 2006) state that one fifth of children and adolescents are affected by sleep disorders, and that the most common types of sleep disorders in children and adolescents are obstructive sleep apnea, which can be caused by bodily and facial anomalies, restless leg syndrome, and narcolepsy and parasomnias as mentions by Rourke and Anderson as well .
Unfortunately, these disorders can have a negative impact on young people. It can result in daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia) and “impair concentration, attention span, memory, and behavior” (Kotagal;Pianosi, 2006). Like said by Rourke and Anderson, these problems in young people can be a result of poor sleep hygiene. Kotagal and Pianosi( 2006) state that late night exercising, improper bedtime schedules, caffeine and substance abuse can all contribute to sleep disorders, as well as central nervous system disorders such as narcolepsy, and psychiatric disorders such as depression. Kotagal and Pianosi present many solutions and treatments to childhood sleep disorders. Going to bed early, avoiding drugs, and not using technological devices can help, as well as using prescribed drugs, and having a pediatrician refer the child to a specialist if ongoing symptoms such as falling asleep in school occurs frequently (Kotagal;Pianosi 2006).
Impacts of sleep disorders on Children and How Their Environment Affects Them
There is correlation between a child’s environment, specifically being a victim of second hand smoke, and having a sleep disorder. The study ran by Montaldo, L., Montaldo, P., Caredda, and D’Arco (2012) investigated the relationship between second hand smoke, which as stated before is a poor hygiene that can affect sleep disorders, and sleep bruxism (“teeth grinding or clenching movements during sleep”) in children by interview families about whether or not they smoked around their children, and dividing a the children into groups of those who have been exposed to smoke within 6 months and those who have not and rating their exposure with “heavily, moderately, lightly, and occasionally exposed. The results of the study showed a strong correlation between secondhand smoke and sleep bruxism in children as 31% of the children suffered from sleep bruxism, and of that group, 76% of children were exposed to secondhand smoke (Montaldo, L., Montaldo, P., Caredda, D’Arco 2012).
Sleep bruxism and other sleep disorders affect children poorly. A study on Chinese children done by Jianghong Liu and colleagues (2016) interviews 3979 children and their parents of four elementary schools where children completed questionnaires on emotional problems and sleep behavior, parents completed a child sleep habit questionnaire and teachers rated school performance. The study showed that sleep disorders were more common in boys, puts kids at “risk for depression, loneliness, and poor school performance,” as well as daytime sleepiness which as stated before is a common result of poor sleep habits and disorders. (Jianghong, 2016). Jianghong Liu and colleagues (2016) suggest earlier child screening to intervene with sleep disorders.
What does this all mean?
Sleep disorders are emphasized as something that is clearly common in children. It is important to pay attention to symptoms in children, promote healthy sleep hygiene, caring for mental health, and jumping on childhood screening in order to to help and treat childhood sleep disorders. It will help children to function better throughout the day even emotionally; and not only that, tackling child sleep disorders will help them in their adulthood.
Kotagal, S., & Pianosi, P. (2006). Sleep disorders in children and adolescents. BMJ (Clinical
research ed.), 332(7545), 828–832. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.332.7545.828
Liu, J., Liu, X., Ji, X., Wang, Y., Zhou, G., & Chen, X. (2016). Sleep disordered breathing
symptoms and daytime sleepiness are associated with emotional problems and poor school performance in children. Psychiatry research, 242, 218–225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2016.05.017
Montaldo, L., Montaldo, P., Caredda, E., & D’Arco, A. (2012). Association between exposure to
secondhand smoke and sleep bruxism in children: a randomised control study. Tobacco control, 21(4), 392–395.
https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2011-050217
Rourke, E., Anderson, K. N (2014) Sleep disorders. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 349.
