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Treatment of sleep disorders in children

Janet C Lam1, Thornton B A Mason

  • 1Janet C. Lam, MHS, MD University of Maryland, 737 West Lombard Street, First Floor, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. jlam@peds.umaryland.edu.

Current Treatment Options in Neurology
|January 5, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Behavioral interventions and good sleep hygiene are key for managing pediatric sleep disorders in children and adolescents. Pharmacologic treatments are limited due to a lack of pediatric drug approvals.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Child Development
  • Behavioral Pediatrics

Background:

  • Sleep disorders significantly impact children's growth and development.
  • Behavioral interventions, including limit-setting and sleep hygiene, are primary management strategies.
  • Adolescents require specific emphasis on good sleep hygiene practices for family-wide benefit.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current landscape of pediatric sleep disorder management.
  • To highlight the importance of behavioral interventions and sleep hygiene.
  • To discuss the challenges and status of pharmacologic treatments for pediatric sleep disorders.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of pediatric sleep disorder management strategies.
  • Analysis of behavioral interventions, focusing on limit-setting and sleep hygiene.
  • Examination of the regulatory status and clinical application of pharmacologic treatments in children.

Main Results:

  • Behavioral interventions are the cornerstone of pediatric sleep disorder management.
  • Consistent limit-setting is crucial for younger children, while sleep hygiene is vital for all ages.
  • Limited US Food and Drug Administration-approved pharmacologic options exist for pediatric sleep disorders, with many treatments extrapolated from adult data.

Conclusions:

  • Behavioral strategies and consistent sleep hygiene are essential for addressing pediatric sleep disorders.
  • The scarcity of pediatric-specific pharmacologic treatments necessitates careful consideration and reliance on clinical experience and adult data extrapolation.
  • Further pediatric clinical trials are needed to expand approved pharmacologic options for children's sleep issues.

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