While sleep comes easy to many children, some kids suffer from sleep disorders. If your child seems to have difficulty sleeping, a sleep clinic may be able to determine the nature of his problem and provide him with a treatment. While clinics of this type for children are not as common as those for adults, they do exist.
Prevalence
Sleep disorders may seem like they would be a rarity among children, but 1 in 4 children will be impacted by a sleep disorder before adulthood. As University of California, San Francisco’s Benioff Children’s Hospital reports, a survey of parents indicated that 25 percent of all children will suffer a sleep disorder at some point in their development.
Potential Impact
Sleep is vital to the healthy functioning of a child’s body, and as a result, sleep disorders can have a major impact. Sleep disorders have been tied to many problems, ranging from cardiovascular problems to difficulties learning, reports Benioff Children’s Hospital. Because of the potentially serious impact of a sleep disorder, parents should consider seeking help from a sleep clinic if their child exhibits signs of a sleep-related problem.
Potential Sleep Disorder Types
Some sleep disorders can be best diagnosed by participation in a sleep clinic study. These sleep disorders include circadian rhythm disorders, nocturnal hypoventilation, sleep apnea, parasomnias — such as night terrors and insomnia. It is difficult for doctors to study the effects of these sleep disorders without participation in a sleep clinic, Many of the tests that need to be performed in relation to these disorders must be performed while the patient is sleeping.
Children’s Sleep Clinic Procedures
Sleep clinic studies are generally unobtrusive and relatively easy for child patients to tolerate, reports Seattle Children’s Sleep Clinic. In most cases, the patient needs only sleep in one of the clinic rooms with monitors are attached to her head and chest. Most sleep clinics offer on-site sleeping spaces for parents to ensure that the parents are near should the child need them during the night.
Sleep Clinic Prescription
In most cases, sleep clinic tests are available by prescription only. If you think your child may be suffering from a sleep disorder that could best be diagnosed by participation in a sleep clinic, speak to your child’s doctor regarding your concerns and request that your child be tested at an area sleep clinic.
