Press Releases
October 11, 2011
Children Have Sleep Problems Too
St. Barnabas Hospital Opens First Child and Youth Sleep Clinic in Bronx
Sleep disorders are not exclusive to overweight men who snore. Children and teens are also at high risk for several sleep disorders.
“We see children as young as two and school age children who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and teens with problems like insomnia, narcolepsy or circadian rhythm disorders,” said Dr. Daniel Erichsen, a sleep medicine physician, board certified pediatrician and Director of Pediatric Sleep Medicine at St. Barnabas Hospital. “If left untreated, many sleep disorders can be detrimental to development, academic performance and mental health in the young.”
Dr. Erichsen, who is a graduate of the University of Chicago Sleep Medicine fellowship program and the author of a soon-to-be-published book, Sleep 101 – A beginner’s guide to uncovering the mysteries of life’s forgotten third, treats children, adolescents and young adults at St. Barnabas Hospital’s newly opened clinic. It is the first clinic in the Bronx to serve this population.
Dr. Erichsen believes that any sleep condition that interferes with a child or family’s quality of life should be a red flag. This means parents should share their concern with their primary care physician and discuss with them the need to see a sleep specialist.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Unlike the OSA which often affects overweight adults who tend to have excessive fat tissue around their neck that closes at night and affects their breathing, children often present with enlarged tonsils that create airway blockage while they sleep. These children typically are snorers who may also have breathing problems such as choking episodes in sleep.
“While sleep deprivation in adults tends to result in sleepiness, sleep deprivation in children often comes across as hyperactivity or inattentiveness,” said Dr. Erichsen. “Very often these symptoms can be misinterpreted as ADD or ADHD.”
Rather than being overweight, these children may have difficulty gaining weight because so much energy is spent by breathing muscles during sleep. The problem is not the quantity of sleep, Dr. Erichsen points out, but rather the quality of sleep.
For most children, the removal of tonsils and adenoids will alleviate the condition. Others may do well with a continuous positive airway pressure device (called a CPAP mask) they wear while they sleep. Used by most adults with sleep apnea, the CPAP uses air pressure to push the tongue forward and open the throat. This allows air to pass through the throat, reduces snoring and prevents apnea disturbances.
Sleep Problems in Adolescents and Young Adults
Delayed sleep-phase syndrome is a disorder of sleep (circadian) rhythm that keeps patients – often teens – from falling asleep at a normal hour and, as such, causes them to have problems waking up in the morning. This, in turn, often results in excessive daytime sleepiness, irritability and poor academic performance.
According to Dr. Erichsen, these patients are often treated effectively with melatonin, a hormone that helps reset the teen’s internal clock, and light therapy, which will also help shift sleep rhythm.
Other sleep disorders found in children are:
Insomnia, a condition that causes difficulty falling asleep or staying
asleep. Although relatively rare in younger children, insomnia is common in
teens and young adults.
Night terrors, where sudden, partial arousal is associated with cries of fear. The child, usually four to eight years of age, has no memory of the outbursts once fully awake.
Sleep walking, which is most common with children eight to 12, who may wander through the house without recalling the event the following day. The disorder usually disappears by adolescence.
Narcolepsy, a rare, but potentially dangerous condition that presents with extreme sleepiness and sleep attacks (irresistible urges to sleep during the day) and often begins to appear in adolescence.
St. Barnabas Hospital’s Center for Sleep Medicine combines the latest in sleep diagnostic technology with the comforts of a hotel. The center offers a pleasant environment for children and adults to undergo the highest quality and most accurate sleep studies available.