Unmasking spectrum of sleep disorders in office practice

Abstract

The development of sleep parallels physical, behavioral, and neurologic development in children. Sleep is an important part of physiologic, emotional, and neurocognitive development. Sleep in children is an important and dynamic process, affecting numerous aspects of health and development. Problems with sleep are relatively common but often can be challenging to recognize and hence are very often missed. At every general checkup, parents should be asked whether they have any sleep concerns, whether their child snores, and whether their child wakes up appearing rested. A few key interventions (especially sleep hygiene) can effectively be implemented in general pediatric practice, and more complex issues should be referred to a sleep specialist. Thus, the aim of this article is to sensitize the practitioner in sleep medicine and provide an overview of sleep in children, including important aspects of sleep-related physiology, key relationships between sleep and growth and development, and the most prevalent sleep disorders that pediatricians are likely to encounter.