Premium
9. Common causes of sleep disruption and daytime sleepiness: childhood sleep disorders II
Author(s) -
Heussler Helen S
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2005.tb06793.x
Subject(s) - sleep hygiene , sleep (system call) , sleep disorder , excessive daytime sleepiness , medicine , psychiatry , mood , pediatrics , psychology , sleep debt , clinical psychology , insomnia , computer science , operating system , sleep quality
There are strong associations between childhood sleep disorders and behavioural, concentration and mood problems. Sleep disorders caused and maintained by behavioural factors (eg, sleep‐onset association disorder) are common in young children, and have a significant impact on families. Evaluation should include a medical history, a physical, neurological and developmental examination, a description of any nocturnal events or daytime effects of the child's disturbed sleep, and a good understanding of the family situation and parental management of the child. Management involves recognising the developmental age of the child and the family dynamics, and educating and supporting families in applying behavioural techniques to establish good sleep hygiene. Children with parasomnias (eg, night terrors) also benefit from good sleep hygiene, while those with respiratory or neurological causes of sleep disturbance should be referred for specialist treatment.