[Increasing prescription of drug treatment for sleep disorders in children calls for reflection].

Abstract

Sleep disorders are common in children. The Swedish Medical Products Agency recommends careful evaluation of children with sleep disorders with focus on underlying disease and lifestyle factors. The treatment of choice is implementation of sleep hygiene advice. Medical treatment is rarely necessary. The endogenous melatonin level is affected by lifestyle factors such as exposure to darkness and blue light at nighttime. Addressing lifestyle factors is necessary to secure an effective treatment. Within child and adolescent psychiatry, there is a trend of increasing prescription of drug treatment for various diagnoses, including sleep disorders. Caregivers may express a desire to find an easy solution to a complex problem, but extensive prescription of melatonin should be avoided. Melatonin has physiological effects exceeding regulation of sleep. The potential long-term effects of melatonin treatment are not known. Children are vulnerable and should be treated with extra caution.