The more unusual sleep disturbances of childhood

The sleep patterns of children often cause anxiety to their parents. Some disturbances are unusual, and therefore may cause diagnostic difficulties. Sleep walking and night terrors can be confused with epileptic seizures. The sudden sleep of narcolepsy can lead to false accusations, when in fact the episodes are beyond the child's control. The associated phenomena of cataplexy, hypnogogic hallucinations and sleep paralysis can be particularly alarming, especially if they occur in the absence of narcolepsy. The overlap between narcolepsy and the Kleine-Levin syndrome is confirmed. Although of a different nature the sleep apnoea syndrome is equally important from the point of view of diagnosis and treatment.