Pediatric Sleep Medicine
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, reduce immunity, and in some cases cause long-term lung, hormonal, and heart problems — not to mention the effects on your own sleep. The earlier children receive an accurate diagnosis and begin treatment for a sleep problem, the less likely they are to develop long-term problems.
The pediatric sleep experts at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital offer diagnosis and treatment for the full spectrum of sleep disorders. Both centers have sleep laboratories designed just for children and adolescents. In addition, both hospitals coordinate a multidisciplinary sleep center for children and adolescents with complex illnesses or sleep disorders, where patients will be seen by a sleep pulmonologist, neurologist, and psychologist in one combined visit. Our goal is to help your child achieve healthy, restorative sleep.
About Our Program
NewYork-Presbyterian’s pediatric sleep experts treat a wide range of sleep disorders in children from infancy through age 21 — from common issues such as breathing disorders during sleep and insomnia to more complex sleep problems associated with neurologic disorders. 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 pediatric sleep specialists care for children and adolescents with:
- Sleep apnea
- Insomnia (trouble falling or staying asleep)
- Sleep schedule problems
- Excessive daytime sleepiness (such as narcolepsy)
- Anxiety or depression affecting sleep
- Sleepwalking or abnormal movements, behaviors, emotions or dreams occurring during sleep (parasomnias)
- Movement disorders, including periodic limb movement disorder (restless legs), body rocking, and head banging
- Sleep disorders in children with underlying genetic, neurodevelopmental or medical conditions
- Difficulties using CPAP or BiPAP (positive airway devices worn to treat sleep apnea)
Our Approach to Care
Once we identify the cause of your child’s sleep problem, we tailor a plan of care to improve the quality of his or her sleep. This care may include behavioral changes, medications, a CPAP or BiPAP device to treat sleep apnea, or surgery. We work with other 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, heart rate, breathing, and oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. Other sleep studies we provide include:
- Multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) 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.
- 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 coordinated approach to their care. Many of them need more than one pediatric sleep specialist. The pediatric sleep centers at NewYork-Presbyterian offer a warm and friendly environment tailored to the needs of young patients and bring together all the experts you need through one medical center. Contact us today to set up a consultation.