Healthy sleep patterns are vital for healthy functioning in both children and adults. Inadequate sleep can weaken the immune system, as well as diminish functioning and cause general fatigue. However, sleep problems are common, as many children have problems falling or staying asleep. It is important to understand the amount of sleep your child needs, as this varies based on the individual child and their age. Among adolescents, extra responsibilities when it comes to school and extracurricular activities typically contribute to sleep issues. In school children, lack of sleep can cause similar symptoms to ADHD.
Pediatric sleep psychologists treat insomnia most widely. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) and phase advance therapy are common treatments for insomnia in adolescents. Specific routines associated with waking up and bedtime are vital for children of all ages suffering from insomnia. There are also sleep training techniques that can be helpful for children up to 3 years old. These techniques can be controversial, but ultimately it is up to the family and what works best for them.
Many children experience bedtime resistance in which they may reject the idea of going to sleep or throw tantrums, causing stress for families. One simple solution is to create a bedtime routine consisting of 20 to 45 minutes of a few quiet activities. Both the order of activities and the time of day that the routine is started should stay consistent.
Curtain calls are another widespread problem—this is when a child delays bedtime by getting out of bed multiple times. A common effective strategy for this is called the bedtime pass program. For this strategy, a child gets only 3 passes allowing them to get out of bed, and is rewarded in the morning if any passes are unused. For children who have a fear of the dark, certain self-talk methods can be helpful.
For those experiencing nightmare disorder, it is widely treated with imagery rehearsal therapy. In this therapy, patients make up a new ending to a recurring dream and continuously think and talk about this ending. This causes the emotions associated with thoughts of the nightmare to become more neutral or positive, causing the nightmares to become more tolerable and less frequent.
Ethel Dvoskin
Research Assistant, UConn KIDS
Article link: https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/07/ce-corner-sleep