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“Plainly stated, if a child is sleep deprived for a sustained amount of time, his or her immune system is going to be impacted, his or her cardiac system is going to be impacted, and his or her vascular system is going to be impacted,” said Backman. “The message then is, when evaluating children, ask the mother and father how their child is sleeping. If the answer is less than 10 hours, then something is wrong.”

Sourcing a more extensive sleep log, as compiled by the NSF, it is recommended that newborns up to two months average 10.5 to 18 hours of sleep per day, and those between two and 12 months average 14 to 15 hours. Toddlers between one and three years old should average 12 to 14 hours of sleep per day, and those between three and five years old, 11 to 13 hours. Children five to 12 years old should average 10 to 11 hours of sleep. Adolescents 12 and up should average 9 to 10 hours of sleep.

Attaining such numbers, however, has grown increasingly difficult, especially considering the reality of living in a 24-hour society. While there exists no hard proof as to the cause of most sleep disorders, there are some extenuating factors that are viewed as plausible culprits, including the prevalence of artificial light, the electronic invasion (video games, television, the Internet), caffeine, consuming larger quantities of high-carbohydrate foods, exercising less, and, of course, family history. Unfortunately, many of these same identifiers are shared by other ailments, leading to the presence of a sleep disorder being overlooked, or worse yet, misdiagnosed.

“With 84 sleep disorders to consider, and each one having overlapping characteristics, there does exist the possibility that physicians and internists not versed in sleep medicine could very easily overlook one,” stated Backman. “This is especially true when considering that physical conditions, such as ADD and ADHD, can actually mimic sleep disorders in the way that they present themselves behaviorally.”

Correction
Fortunately, in the case of some children, there does exist an easily employed corrective therapy. As Backman recommends, creating an effective sleep profile in a child can, oftentimes, correct most sleep disorders. This entails having the parents expose the child to simulated sunlight for five to ten minutes, immediately following waking, and not letting the child go back to sleep until bedtime. Also, to institute a repetitive pattern in the brain, have the child go to bed within a half an hour of the same time every night and rise within a half an hour of the same time every morning. Once he or she grows attuned to that schedule, the sleep problem will likely disappear. If, however, that does not work, it could be a sign that the child suffers from a more severe condition, and a sleep diagnostics study should be considered.

Opened in 1986, Deborah’s Sleep Diagnostics Laboratory is a state-of-the-art, four-bedroom laboratory that operates five days a week. On staff are five full-time polysomnographers who are either certified or registered in respiratory therapy and who have been trained to the standards of the American Association of Sleep Medicine. This comprehensive training has equipped these professionals with the ability to accurately diagnose potential sleep disorders and tailor individualized treatment plans to correct them. In most cases, Deborah’s polysomnographers can correct a sleep disorder in as little as one or two nights

“Sleep is a vital asset for a child’s health and overall development, learning, and safety,” said Backman. “For no other reason than to ensure that every child is given the opportunity to grow up healthy and bright, we need to work together, as parents, primary care physicians and polysomnographers, to detect and eliminate the presence of sleep disorders in our younger generations.”™