Your child exhibits behavior problems both at school and at home. He's irritable, tired and struggling with homework assignments. What's happening with your child? You should consider a consultation with Dr. Richard Bogan of Bogan Sleep Consultants in Columbia, SC. A well-credentialed sleep specialist, Dr. Bogan assists families who experience sleep disorders. Just as adults do, youngsters can have problems with getting the rest they need to be happy, healthy and well-functioning.
Your child needs to sleep
The National Sleep Foundation says that your school-age child (ages six to 13) needs at least 11 hours of sleep every night. If a child gets less, if it's interrupted or if the bedroom environment that doesn't promote good sleep hygiene (no noise, no light, right temperature), a sleep disorder may develop.
Common childhood sleep disorders
There are many, and they run in the gamut in severity. They often include:
- Sleep apnea, or breathing cessation and snoring caused by airway obstruction (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) or poor communication between the brain and the respiratory system (Central Sleep Apnea)
- Restless leg syndrome in which the child experiences unconscious and sometimes vigorous leg movements as he or she sleeps
- Sleepwalking
- Narcolepsy, or easily falling asleep during the day
- Insomnia, the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep
- Night terrors, or vivid nightmares
- Sleep paralysis in which the child cannot move
Unfortunately, these sleep disorders not only affect the sufferers with depression, anxiety and more, but they often disrupt entire households, says the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center.
Treating sleep disorders
Dr. Bogan may suggest parents keep a diary of their child's sleep patterns and concerning behaviors. Also, he encourages the development of a restful and quiet bedtime routine for the entire household.
Additionally, your sleep specialist may recommend some sleep studies either at home or at the sleep lab at Bogan Sleep Consultants. For instance, a Multiple Sleep Latency Test measures how quickly a patient falls asleep. A fully-monitored polysomnogram reveals sleep cycles, respiratory and heart rate, brain and muscle activity and other factors which affect how deeply someone sleeps.
With collected data and symptomology, Dr. Bogan can formulate a sleep care plan tailored to your child's needs.
Find out more
If you're concerned about your child's sleep patterns and what they may do to his or her health and well-being, please call Bogan Sleep Consultants for a consultation. Dr. Bogan will direct you to the right course of action so both you and your child rest well and feel better. Call today: (803) 251-3093.
