Pediatric Sleep Disorders
Assessing Your Child's Sleep
Sleep disorders are some of the most common health problems in childhood. A lack of quality sleep could impair your child's ability to concentrate, inhibit the immune system, and in some cases cause long-term lung, hormonal, and heart problems — not to mention the effects on your own sleep. The earlier your child receives an accurate diagnosis and begins treatment for a sleep problem, the less likely he or she is to develop such long-term consequences. Both NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital have sleep laboratories just for children and adolescents, which we use to diagnose some sleep problems.
About Our Program
The teams in the pediatric sleep centers at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital treat the full spectrum of sleep disorders. Breathing disorders in sleep are the most common issues we treat. The sleep laboratories are most often used to assess breathing disorders, disorders of excessive sleepiness (such as narcolepsy), and sometimes other issues. At both pediatric sleep centers, we perform the full range of studies required to diagnose sleep disorders, including overnight and daytime studies. We understand that coming in for an overnight sleep study can cause anxiety in a child, so you can sleep in the same room as your child.
What we treat
Our doctors can assess and diagnose disorders such as:
- Sleep apnea
- Parasomnias (abnormal movements, behaviors, emotions, perceptions, or dreams occurring during sleep)
- Sleep schedule problems
- Excessive daytime sleepiness (such as narcolepsy)
- Sleepwalking
- Insomnia (trouble falling or staying asleep)
- Behavioral sleep problems, including a special Behavioral Sleep Disorders Clinic at NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital
- Movement disorders, including periodic limb movement disorder (restless legs) and head banging
Our Approach to Care
Once we identify the cause of your child’s sleep problem, our teams will tailor a plan of care to improve the quality of his or her sleep. This care may include behavioral changes, medications, a device to treat sleep apnea (CPAP or BiPAP), or surgery. We work with a range of pediatric specialists with expertise in disorders that affect sleep, including pediatric ENT physicians, obesity experts, bariatric (weight management) surgeons, developmental specialists, craniofacial surgeons, neurosurgeons, neuromuscular physicians, and cardiologists. All of these specialists are available to you and your child at NewYork-Presbyterian.
How we study your child's sleep
The most common sleep study is a polysomnogram, also known as an overnight sleep study. During this test, we monitor your child's brain and body activities, including brain waves (EEG), eye movements, arm and leg movements, muscle activity, and heart rate, as well as breathing, chest, and abdominal respiration, airflow at the nose and mouth, and oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. We also provide additional sleep studies, including:
Multiple sleep latency test (MSLT), a test to determine the degree of a child’s sleepiness during the daytime, which is important for diagnosing narcolepsy.
Actigraphy, which uses a wristwatch-like device to measure your child’s sleep patterns during regular activities, and which we use to evaluate many sleep disorders.
Complex respiratory disorder evaluations, a range of tests we use to assess children with sleep apnea, hypoventilation, children on ventilators, those with tracheostomies, and children with severe chronic lung disease.
Why Choose Us
Children with sleep issues have special needs and require a special approach to their care. The pediatric sleep centers at NewYork-Presbyterian offer a warm and friendly environment tailored to the needs of young patients of all ages. Contact us today to set up a consultation and start off on the path to better sleep — for all of you.