Insomnia Treatment In Pediatrics

Insomnia is a sleep disturbance in which children have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at night.

Insomnia treatment in pediatrics. Sometimes the complaint is one of waking up too early. Melatonin may be effective for treating insomnia in healthy children and in those with physical or learning disabilities. Institute good sleep hygiene habits. Types of treatments for childhood insomnia.

5 this and other reviews highlight the need for more evidence based studies in this area. Behavioral interventions should be the mainstay of treatment of pediatric insomnia and should be offered as initial treatment or in conjunction with medications to parents and children. Restricting time spent in bed to simply sleeping which means no reading doing homework or watching tv in bed. 6 in 2005 a consensus statement on medications for pediatric insomnia provided important guidance because all are used off label.

Medication is usually used sparingly with children exhibiting insomnia. Good sleep hygiene habits include. Restricting time spent in bed to simply sleeping. 7 9 therefore in this review we discuss medications used for insomnia and other common pediatric sleep problems in the text and.

16 in addition over the counter medication such as diphenhydramine and melatonin 16 and herbal preparations 17 are frequently used by parents to treat sleep problems with or without the recommendation of the primary care provider. Maintaining a bedroom that is quiet calm comfortable 75 degrees. In a survey of nearly 700 community pediatricians more than 75 had recommended a nonprescription or prescription medication for insomnia. In children most insomnia cases must be carefully unraveled in combination with pediatricians and psychiatric professionals before any treatment is begun.

While older children may complain of this on their own often it is the parent of the youngster who brings this to attention. Behavioral interventions aim to help children initiate and maintain sleep independently resulting in increased total sleep time and improved sleep quality. Non drug treatments for primary insomnia or childhood insomnia that is not caused by another medical condition can include.