Sleep Disorders

Restful sleep is an essential component of health for human beings. The brain must sleep to function properly and the body must rejuvenate in sleep to stay healthy. Despite the critical role restorative sleep plays, sleep disturbances are very common. Infants and children who awaken unnecessarily at night can disturb parent’s sleep leading to fatigue and irritability in daily living. Children who don’t sleep well can have behavioral and emotional problems that can disrupt pleasant parent/child relationships. Sleep disturbance is very common in many chronic conditions such as anxiety, depression, adhd, asthma, allergies, chronic fatigue, etc. Some parents and children live in a state of persistent unrecognized sleep deprivation which diminishes life enjoyment, and contributes to suboptimal performance in work, school, relationships, etc.

Pediatricians at Canyon View Pediatrics are well training in recognizing and assessing common sleep problems and helping parents and children establish normal sleep patterns. Treatments often involve behavior management and self-regulation. Sometimes treatment must involve surgical remedies such as tonsil and adenoid removal or management of conditions such as allergies and asthma.

Parents can be very helpful in diagnosing sleep problems by maintaining sleep records and observing sleep for signs of snoring, labored breathing, airway obstruction, or excessive restlessness. Occasionally, formal sleep studies are need for diagnosis and we can help arrange these when necessary.