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Screen / Test Your Child / Teen for Major Pediatric Sleep Disorders:
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Bed-Wetting
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness
Insomnia
Narcolepsy
Periodic Limb Movement Disorder
Restless Legs Syndrome
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Sleep Talking
Sleep Terrors / Night Terrors / Nightmares
Sleep Walking
Snoring
Teeth Grinding
Sleep Apnea |
| Sleep
Disorders - Keyword Definitions |
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Idiopathic (Central Nervous System) Hypersomnia |
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Idiopathic central nervous system hypersomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by long periods of repeated sleepiness
that cannot be attributed to other sleep disorders. These people have extended sleep periods, lengthened daytime naps,
excessive daytime sleepiness, and difficulty awakening. They may have aggressive and automatic behavior on awakening.
These people need to be examined for other sleep disorders, such as Narcolepsy, Periodic Limb Movement Disorder
(PLMD), or sleep-related respiratory disturbances, such as Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS). Some people may need
repeated evaluations to identify the underlying disorder. You can screen your child or adolescent for these major sleep
disorders by going to www.Sleepdisorderhelp.com and clicking onto the “Screening by Parents” menu and then completing the
Sleep Disorders Inventory for Students. |
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Insomnia |
Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep and/or remain asleep for a reasonable period of time. Insomniacs often comment
that they cannot sleep or "rest their mind" for more than a few minutes at a time. Sometimes fear, stress, late afternoon
napping, anxiety, medications, herbs, too much caffeine, or physical pain may cause difficulty falling asleep or staying
asleep. Identifying the underlying cause of insomnia is usually necessary to correct it.
Medical Insomnia is defined as not being able to sleep (or sleeping for less than) 4 hours at a time. Intentionally
staying awake does not meet the criteria for insomnia.
Three different types of insomnia can occur: transient, acute (short-term), and chronic insomnia. Insomnia lasting
from one night to a few weeks is classified to as transient, which is typically the case for most people who occasionally
suffer from jet lag or temporary anxiety. If this form of insomnia continues to reappear occasionally, the insomnia is
classified as intermittent. Acute insomnia is the inability to consistently sleep well for a period of three weeks to six
months. Insomnia is considered to be chronic and the most serious if it continues almost nightly for at least a month or longer.
Some common causes of insomnia are:
· Circadian Rhythm Disorders cause insomnia at some times of the day and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) at other
times of the day. Common circadian rhythm sleep disorders include jet lag and Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS). Jet lag
occurs in people who travel through multiple time zones in one day, and the time relative to sunrise and sunset no longer
agrees with the body's internal clock.
· Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS) is a circadian rhythm disorder and form of insomnia, which is very common in
adolescents. It appears to be caused by biological changes in puberty, which are influenced by sleep habits and hygiene.
Some adolescents circadian sleep clock is longer than the typical 24 hour daily cycle. DSPS usually begins with a tendency
for the teenager to stay up later on weekends or during summer vacation, and then sleep in late, or take afternoon naps.
As a result, the circadian sleep cycle and melatonin production, which promotes sleep onset, gets delayed until after
midnight. When school starts again, the teenager cannot shift their circadian sleep rhythm back to an earlier sleep/wake
time and oversleeps in the morning, resulting in tardiness or absence in early morning classes. If the student makes it to
the early classes, then s/he is often very tired or sleeps through these classes. The incidence rate in adolescents
is approximately 7 %. Unless this problem is corrected, many of these students make poor grades, fail, and/or drop out of
school. There are many helpful home interventions for this problem that can be obtained by going to www.Sleepdisorderhelp.com
and clicking onto the “Screening by Parents” menu and you can complete the Sleep Disorders Inventory for Students (SDIS).
This produces a graph with report that will give you many interventions to correct your child/teen’s DSPS if it appears
s/he has it. Correcting this sleep disorder could significantly improve your child’s academic performance and success.
· Parasomnia includes a number of disorders of arousal (awakening) or disruptive sleep events including nightmares,
sleepwalking, teeth grinding (Bruxism), sleep talking, Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD), violent behavior while
sleeping, and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) - behavior disorder, in which a person moves his/her physical body in response to
events within his/her dreams. These parasomnias can usually be treated successfully through medical intervention by a sleep specialist.
· Mania or Hypomania in bipolar disorder can cause difficulty falling asleep. A person going through a manic or
hypomanic episode may feel a reduced need for sleep. Sleep deprivation can worsen a manic episode, or cause hypomania to
develop into mania. A person exhibiting the characteristics of bipolar disorder needs to be screened for a variety of
sleep disorders like Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS), Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS), Periodic Limb Movement
Disorder (PLMD), etc. If the person has one of these sleep disorders, it could be causing the bipolar characteristics,
which often diminishes significantly after treatment or correction of the sleep disorder. You can go to www.Sleepdisorderhelp.com
and click onto the “Screening by Parents” menu and you can complete the Sleep Disorders Inventory for Students (SDIS).
This produces a graph with report that will give you many interventions to correct your child/teen’s sleep disorder if it
appears s/he has one.
· Pain can cause or exacerbate insomnia and finding effective ways to treat and reduce pain can provide relief. A
common misperception is that the amount of sleep required decreases as a person ages. The ability to sleep for long periods,
rather than the need for sleep, appears to be lost as people get older. This is caused by the body gradually reducing the
amount of melatonin it produces after the age of 35-45 years. It is this natural melatonin that helps children and adolescents
sleep deeply and for long periods of time. This problem can be corrected for some people by taking an over-the-counter melatonin
supplement. For a greater number of people, an over-the-counter sleep-aid like Unisom or Sleepy Time is very effective taken
30 minutes before bedtime, and has little if any side effects. These sleep-aids are also very inexpensive compared to the
prescription drugs and are non-addictive.
Insomnia is a common side-effect of some medications (i.e. Ritalin, Adderall, etc.), and it can also be caused by stress,
emotional events, physical or mental illness, dietary allergies, and poor sleep hygiene, such as Behavioral Insomnia of Childhood
for younger children and Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS) for adolescents.
Many insomniacs rely on prescription sleeping tablets and other sedatives to get rest. Such medication can be addictive
when taking them over long periods of time. First try an over-the-counter sleep-aid like Unisom, Tylenol P.M., or Sleepy
Time, which are not addictive and much cheaper than prescription sleep-aids.
Some insomniacs use herbs such as valerian, chamomile, lavender, hops, and passion-flower. Valerian has undergone
the most studies and appears to be modestly effective.
Some time-honored remedies for insomnia have included drinking warm milk before bedtime, taking a warm bath;
exercising energetically for half an hour in the afternoon, eating a large lunch and then having only a light evening meal
at least three hours before bedtime, avoiding afternoon naps and mentally stimulating activities in the evening hours, and
making sure to get up early in the morning and to retire to bed at a reasonable hour. The more stress-free and calm a
person is, the greater likelihood of getting a good night's sleep.
In summary, insomniacs should follow these suggestions:
· Avoid all stimulating substances/activities such as caffeine and exercise 2-3 hours before bedtime.
· Avoid distractions in the bedroom including excessive light (read with a dim night light before sleeping), and
noise, television, ringing phones, alarm clocks, etc. If you struggle with too much noise in your home or outside (lots
of traffic) try buying the wax earplugs that decrease the noise level by 30-40%.
· Avoid stressful conversations and thoughts before bedtime.
· Combat worries and preoccupations about the day ahead by tending to plans and schedules way before bedtime.
· Background noise, such as a fan or soft rhythmic music, can serve to ease some individuals into sleep. Others fall
asleep quicker by reading a book, especially if it tends to be a somewhat boring read, like a textbook (!) or very peaceful
material, like poetry, self-improvement literature, or the scriptures.
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2007, Child Uplift Inc. - All Rights Reserved |
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