Pediatrics Sleep Medicine

What is pediatric sleep medicine?

Pediatric sleep medicine is sleep medicine focusing on children and their ability to get a good nights’ sleep. Just like you, kids need enough high quality sleep each night to function from day-to-day. Poor sleep can cause them to struggle socially, and in school, so you should address their sleep issues as soon as you notice a problem.

At Florida Sleep Solutions of Jax, the team diagnoses and treats sleep disorders in children as young as five years old and up to age 18. In many cases, children aren’t likely to outgrow their sleep problems, so professional diagnosis and treatment are necessary. 

Common signs of a sleep disorder in your child include trouble falling or staying asleep, daytime sleepiness, and behavioral issues. Identifying the cause and treating the condition early may be essential to your child’s development into a healthy adult.

How does pediatric sleep testing work?

When you bring your child to Florida Sleep Solutions of Jax for sleep testing, your provider works to make the experience as comfortable as possible for them. 

Sleep tests for children happen on Friday and Saturday nights so that they won’t interfere with school. You should inform the staff of your child’s regular bedtime so the sleep test can take place at that time. Your provider might schedule your child’s sleep test on a night where they will be by themselves or with other children, depending on their needs and preferences.

The team hooks your child up to monitoring devices that will measure specific parameters of their sleep cycle. The instruments measure breathing, pauses in breathing, heart rate, and other factors. As the team prepares the instruments, your child can sit comfortably and watch TV on a monitor in the room. You can bring along movies, toys, or books to help your child feel more at home. 

Florida Sleep Solutions of Jax also offers accommodations to parents for the night and asks that at least one parent stays. 

Which sleep problems can children experience?

Many sleep problems can affect children of any age, with issues ranging from mild to severe. Any of them can affect your child’s wellbeing at night and during the day. A few common problems affecting children that a sleep specialist can treat include:

• Bedwetting
• Insomnia
• Narcolepsy
• Breathing problems (sleep apnea, snoring)
• Sleepwalking
• Delayed sleep phase
• Restless leg syndrome

You should describe your child’s nighttime symptoms and daytime behaviors to your provider in detail when you first visit Florida Sleep Solutions of Jax. They use the information from your consultation and data from your child’s sleep test to form a diagnosis and find ways to help your child sleep well at night. 

To find out if your child has a sleep disorder and what you can do to treat it, call Florida Sleep Solutions of Jax or book an appointment online today.