In honor of the student sleep health week (an event organized by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) to create an awareness of the importance of sleep in students of all ages), I hosted a webinar titled “getting our kids’ sleep on track. With the COVID pandemic and so many other societal demands, our children are not getting the adequate sleep they need. While insufficient sleep has been a long-standing issue, this added stressor has made things worse even before the pandemic. 20 to 40 % of young children have sleep problems, 58% of middle schoolers and 73% of high school students aren’t getting the recommended hours of sleep they need. Insufficient sleep takes its toll on our kids’ mood, learning, emotional and physical performance.

From sleep problems in infants to teenage sleep issues, there is a wide variety of sleep problems treated by a pediatric sleep doctor. Often times children may present with difficulty sleeping which parents feel is related to troubles with their method of sleep training. After a detailed history and physical examination, pediatric sleep doctors may arrive at a diagnosis that sometimes includes an underlying sleep disorder.

I was recently invited to speak as a panelist at an international women’s conference called Thrive Go Global Women’s Conference. The theme of the conference was “Thrive.” I sat with other female health care professionals to discuss aspects of a woman’s health and its impact on her ability to thrive. Within my topic - the role of sleep in women’s health - I realized again how important sleep is to a woman’s ability to thrive. As a sleep medicine expert, I had the privilege of discussing sleep as a critical aspect of thriving. I highlight key aspects of our panel discussion in this blog.

In my practice, I see many children with medical sleep problems, including Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). OSA is a common and serious sleep problem in children that can affect the quality of your child’s sleep. It occurs when a child has breathing pauses while sleeping and causes sleep fragmentation, daytime sleepiness, and behavioral problems. Like adults, untreated sleep apnea is related to poor health outcomes, and it should be diagnosed and treated early.