Who are pediatric sleep specialists?
Children need quality sleep just as much as adults. Sleep is essential for optimal mind-body functioning and growth in children. Research indicates that sleep is critical for healthy psychosocial and cognitive development in children and dramatically impacts their focus, memory, motor skill development, mood regulation, and learning capacity.
Sleep disorders in children can affect the entire family. However, there are ways to help improve the quality of their sleep. If your child is experiencing sleep disturbances, you should take them to a pediatric sleep specialist. They are doctors specializing in diagnosing, treating, and managing sleep disorders (also known as sleep-wake disorders).
The American Psychiatric Association defines these conditions as problems with sleep quality, timing, and duration. Pediatric sleep specialists often work in tandem with dental specialists, pediatric cardiologists, pediatric otolaryngologists, pediatric psychiatrists, and psychologists.
Education and training of pediatric sleep specialists
Pediatric sleep specialists obtain a pre-medical undergraduate degree and spend four years in medical school, from where they graduate with an MD (Doctor of Medicine) or a DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) degree. Next, they complete a pediatric residency and a one-year sleep medicine fellowship. All pediatric sleep specialists require a license to practice medicine.
Additionally, doctors with a certification in general pediatrics or a pediatric subspecialty can clear a standardized examination to earn a certificate in sleep medicine. The American Board of Pediatrics offers this certificate in collaboration with the following:
- The American Board of Internal Medicine
- The American Board of Family Medicine
- The American Board of Otolaryngology
- The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Reasons to see a pediatric sleep specialist near you
Pediatric sleep specialists diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions, including sleep apnea, idiopathic hypersomnia, narcolepsy, nightmare disorder, restless legs syndrome, and night terrors. If your child has one or more of the following symptoms, consider taking them to a pediatric sleep specialist to detect whether they have a sleep disorder. Some of the common signs to look out for in your child are:
- They snore loudly
- Their legs feel itchy at night
- They sleep only in 90-minute stretches
- They are moody and irritable during the day
- They act disruptively and might fall behind in school
- Despite your help, they lie in bed trying to fall asleep for a long time
Sleep apnea in children: Causes, symptoms, and treatment
Pediatric sleep apnea is a sleep ailment that causes children to have paused breathing while they sleep. There are two types: obstructive and central sleep apnea. The former results from a blockage in the back of the nose or throat, while the latter occurs when the part of the brain responsible for breathing does not send the usual signals to the muscles.
The main difference between the two disorders is chronic snoring, which can occur with central apnea but is one of the most prominent symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea. Other signs of pediatric sleep apnea include:
- Bedwetting
- Sleepwalking
- Teeth grinding
- Mouth breathing
- Persistent restless sleep
- Sleeping in odd positions
- Waking up drenched in sweat
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
This condition can lead to prolonged sleep disturbances and chronic daytime fatigue if untreated. Children with untreated sleep apnea can also experience hyperactivity, growth delay, problems socializing, high blood pressure, and heart problems.
If you suspect your child has sleep apnea, see a pediatrician. They can refer you to a pediatric sleep specialist, who will inquire about your child's symptoms and conduct a physical examination. Adequate testing is crucial, as parents and doctors can overlook signs of sleep apnea or treat them as symptoms of a different condition, leading to a faulty diagnosis.
To better understand your child's symptoms, the sleep specialist might schedule a sleep study, for which your child will have to spend the night at a sleep clinic or a hospital. A sleep technician will place test sensors on your child's body to monitor the following throughout the night: heart rate, oxygen levels, breathing patterns, muscle activity, and brain wave patterns. Sleep apnea can co-occur with heart conditions, so your sleep specialist might also order an electrocardiogram (ECG).
While there is no standardized sleep apnea treatment for children, your sleep specialist can devise a treatment plan based on the nature and severity of your child's symptoms. Some children outgrow sleep apnea. In other cases, treatment options include lifestyle changes, nasal steroids (medicines that relieve nasal congestion), continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, ventilation devices, oral appliances, and surgery (tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy).
Tips to help your child get good sleep
Here are some tips that can help your child get good quality sleep:
Melatonin is a crucial hormone secreted by the brain. When melatonin levels are higher, a person feels sleepy and is ready for bed. However, blue light emitted from screens of various electronic devices, such as phones, televisions, tablets, and computer monitors, can affect melatonin production. Thus, the brain remains active, and it's harder to rest or fall asleep.
Therefore, shut off screens an hour before bedtime and try to make your child’s bedroom a screen-free zone. Keep phones and electronic devices outside the bedroom or in Do Not Disturb mode. Have a reading time after dinner, as reading stories helps relax children's brains and prepare them for bed.
You must plan a proper sleep time for your child. Set a wake-up time and determine the hours of uninterrupted sleep your child needs, including afternoon naps. This sleep time should be non-negotiable. If you have teens, this may lead to tough decisions and conversations about activities and schedules. You may suggest they cut back on some of their leisure activities and ask them to finish homework earlier.
- Consistent bedtime routine
If you want your child to go to bed early, you must start the bedtime routine early. No one can go to sleep immediately after an intense mental or physical activity. Therefore, if you want your child to sleep by 8 p.m., their bedtime routine should start around 7 or 7:30 p.m. The routine should be relaxing, comforting, and consistent, and you will notice your child automatically feeling sleepy during those routine hours.
- Follow the sleep routine even on vacations and weekends
Try to keep the same sleep routine even on holidays and vacations. Our bodies perform much better when we follow a routine; the same is true for children. A little leeway is acceptable, such as sleeping an hour later if you know your child will get an extra hour of sleep in the morning. However, for children who wake up early regardless of their sleep time, staying awake past bedtime may not be suitable.
Finding the best pediatric sleep specialist near you
Signs of sleep disorders in children can go unnoticed, but seeing the right doctor can help your child receive the proper treatment for their condition and avoid major health complications. Thanks to Zocdoc, finding a reliable pediatric sleep specialist has never been easier!
To get started, visit the Zocdoc website and create an account. Next, enter the medical specialty of the doctor you are looking for, your location, and your preferred appointment date and time. The website will then list all the doctors matching your criteria. Zocdoc also helps you narrow the search results by filtering the doctors according to their gender and languages spoken.
To find a provider who accepts your insurance, add your insurance information (your insurance provider and plan) to the Zocdoc search. You will see in-network providers who accept your plan. When you search for providers on the Zocdoc app, upload a photo of your insurance card. The app will then scan and display your insurance plan (the option is not available for vision and dental plans). Check out Zocdoc's patient help center for more information and solutions related to insurance.
On Zocdoc, each doctor has a dedicated profile containing information about their education, specialization, certifications, and experience. The profiles also display reviews and ratings from past patients to help you identify a sleep specialist best suited for your child's concerns.
Whether you want to take your child to a pediatric sleep specialist near you in person or prefer a virtual session, Zocdoc can help. While browsing the list of healthcare providers on the website, look for a purple video icon next to doctors' names, which indicates they offer online consultations.
All bookings on Zocdoc are 100% free, safe, and fast!
Statistics regarding pediatric sleep medicine
As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, in 2018–2019, the highest occurrence of shortened sleep duration among children, ranging from 4 months to 14 years, was observed within the 6–12 age group, at approximately 38.4%. Also, according to the National Library of Medicine, the occurrence rates of teeth grinding in children range significantly from 13% to 49%.
A 2019 study published in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine found that approximately 7-11% of children have a nighttime breathing condition; around 90% do not receive a diagnosis. As per the American Academy of Pediatrics, sleep problems affect about 25-50% of all children and 40% of all adolescents.
Sources
Healthline[1]
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Harvard Health Publishing
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Verywell Health
Sleep Foundation[1]
Sleep Foundation[2]
The American Board of Pediatrics
Karger
De Gruyter
American Academy of Family Physicians
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Biotechnology Information
