Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - Parrish Medical Center - (Page 52)

Community HealtH When a child Won’t sleep like a Baby A good night’s rest is essential for healthy growth and development By Kristina st. Peter-Weaver, registered sleeP technologist A ll children have trouble sleeping occasionally, but a child who consistently has trouble falling asleep, staying asleep and waking up may need an evaluation for a sleep disorder. A good night’s sleep is essential for a child’s healthy growth and development, but sometimes breathing problems, behavioral disorders and other conditions can interrupt normal sleep patterns. In those cases, proper diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders can help kids get back on track to a restful, healthier sleep. A new children’s sleep study program at the Parrish Sleep Disorders Center can help children and parents with common—but commonly misunderstood—childhood sleep disorders. Adding children as patients served by the sleep center was based on the growing awareness among researchers that sleep problems are not confined to people older than 18. “Data show that many children who are underperforming in school or who have behavioral problems actually may need better sleep,” says Ricardo Rivera, M.D., the sleep center’s medical director. “Sleep problems among children are greater than anything most people, even many physicians, realized until just the last few years.” ApneA Affects children, too Obstructive sleep apnea is a common sleep condition for adults. It is often misdiagnosed in children as well as in adults, Dr. Rivera says. “Sleep apnea, generally speaking, occurs when an individual stops breathing for a few seconds and the body reacts by literally gasping for breath,” he says. “It has become widely understood as to how it affects adults, but it is increasingly seen as a serious issue for many children.” Other common sleep problems in children are parasomnias, which include sleepwalking, night terrors and teeth grinding. If we hear our children snoring, we think that it’s cute, or an aberration, not that it’s a problem affecting their health and well-being. A piece of special pediatric equipment called a capnograph has been added to the sleep center to aid in the diagnosis of children’s sleep disorders. That’s because when children who have sleep disorders are sleeping, their oxygen levels do not drop as quickly as adults. cAll Call 321-268-6150 for more information or to make an appointment for a pediatric sleep study. Your child’s doctor also can make a referral. The Parrish Sleep Disorders Center is inside the Parrish Healthcare Center at Port St. John, on Port St. John Parkway near Grissom Parkway. Schedule a Sleep Study sleep disorders And Adhd Rick Nauert, Ph.D., senior news editor of PsychCentral, a mental health-focused website, wrote an article titled “Sleep Problems Linked to ADHD in Children.” Nauert wrote: “A new study suggests that children with ADHD 52 Vim & Vigor • W I N TER 2 011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - Parrish Medical Center

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - Parrish Medical Center
Contents
Tasty Tips
Opening Thoughts
Community Calendar
Delegation of Authority
Back in Action
Supplementary Knowledge
Keys to Survival
Clearing the Air
Mark Harmon of NCIS fame makes 60 look good
This One’s for the Girls
Life After a Loss
Do Your Diabetes Homework
Healthy Returns
Making Time
Exercise Disguised as Fun
Community Health: Sleep apnea
Foundation Focus: Gifts make a difference
Ask the Expert: Rotator cuff tears and tendinitis

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - Parrish Medical Center