Identifying Sleep Disorders in Children

Sleep problems are very common among children. Sometimes they can more obvious, such as sleepwalking or bedtime resistance, or sometimes more difficult to detect. But since sleep problems can have very significant consequences for children's health and functioning, it is very important for parents to know and recognize the symptoms of a possible sleep problem in their child or teenager. The good news is that most sleep problems can be solved and your pediatrician can help. Here are a few things that you can do to help identify a sleep disorder in your child. Keep a sleep diary for your child, charting where your child sleeps, how much sleep is he or she getting, length of naps and other sleep patterns. The National Sleep Foundation has developed a simple set of sleep questions for parents called the BEARS. Each letter stands for a different potential sleep problem area. Asking yourself these questions can help identify sleep issues that might be a concern in your child. Take a look at the following websites to learn more about how you can help identify a sleep disorder in your child.