Childhood sleep disorders: diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

Pediatric sleep physiology begins with development of the sleep/wake cycle, and the origins of active versus quiet sleep. The 24-hour circadian cycle becomes established at 3 to 6 months. Sleep disorders are rationally approached in pediatrics as age-related. Disorders during infancy commonly include mild, usually self-limited conditions such as sleep-onset association disorder, excessive nighttime feedings, and poor limit-setting. These require behavioral management to avoid long-term deleterious sleep habits. In contrast, other sleep disorders are more ominous, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), central congenital hypoventilation syndrome, and sleep apnea. Childhood is generally the golden age of sleep, with brief latency, high efficiency, and easy awakening. Parasomnias, sometimes stage specific, are manifest here. Adolescents have sleep requirements similar to preteens, posing a challenge for them to adapt to school schedules and lifestyles. Narcolepsy, usually diagnosed in adolescence or early adulthood, is a lifelong sleep disorder that has led to the identification of the hypocretin/orexin neurotransmitter system. This will lead to enhanced understanding of what regulates stage rapid eye movement, and to novel therapeutic advances for hypersomnolence.