Experts advise against allowing infants to sleep in the same bed as parents but offer these recommendations for safe sleeping:

1. Babies should sleep alone on their backs, in cribs, bassinets or portable playpens that meet the most current safety standards.
2. Do not use a drop-side crib.
3. Do not use bumper pads, pillows, stuffed animals or heavy blankets in cribs. Dress babies in wearable blankets for sleep.
4. Do not allow babies to sleep on couches, adult beds or waterbeds.
5. Do not allow smoking near babies.
6. Babies under 1 should not sleep with other children in the same bed. Read the rest of this entry

In a recently concluded research study the researchers revealed that the babies with sleep problems are several times more likely to still have difficulties when they are toddlers compared to babies who sleep well.

Findings of this research study are published in the journal Pediatrics.

Researchers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio found that one in 10 children under age three has a sleep problem like nightmares, wakings, trouble falling asleep or an inability to sleep in the child’s own bed – results within the range of other studies.

“Oftentimes the message is, ‘Don’t worry about Susie, this is typical and it will get better,”‘ said lead author Kelly Byars, a pediatric psychologist.But her team found, and other experts agreed, that frequently it doesn’t. Read the rest of this entry

Children with sleep disordered breathing (SDB) may have a better  quality of life (QOL) and diminished cardiovascular (CV) disease risk  from the decreased endothelin 1 (ET-1) levels after adenotonsillectomy,  according to new research  published in the journal Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.

SDB is an increasingly common indication for tonsillectomy and  adenoidectomy due to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Cardiovascular  disease frequently has been reported in patients with moderate to severe  OSA. Related abnormalities include: systematic hypertension, pulmonary  hypertension with cor pulmonale, left ventricular hypertrophy or  dysfunction, cardiac arrhythmias, atherosclerosis, and coronary artery  disease. Read the rest of this entry

Parents tend to worry about their newborns when they stop breathing and set up all sorts of safety monitoring. Every now and then a newborn will stop breathing for a few seconds. It is quite often occurring to the newborns and infants. Subsequent to this brief pause in breathing they take a deep breath to the frantic joy and sweet relief of the nearby parent. Delayed or irregular breathing as a newborn is general but if it continues into later life, it can become a complicated medical nightmare.

Sleep apnea is the name for such a condition when a person stops breathing while sleeping. It is more common in adults than children and small babies but the presentation is the same, interruption of a normal breathing pattern. Delayed breathing, long pauses and skipping breaths before starting to breathe again will lead to several other health problems. Read the rest of this entry

The prevalence of obesity in children has tripled in last 30 years, leading to children developing adult medical problems, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and sleep apnea.

While the childhood obesity epidemic is severe, we are seeing a decline in certain populations. In the United States alone, more than 12 million children and adolescents are considered obese.

Children who are obese are also more likely to continue on to be obese as an adult. Read the rest of this entry

Children are busy these days with texting, talking on the phone, and video games and this could leave them heavily sleep deprived. Apart from all these gadgets and other activities there is another monster that’s robbing them of a good night’s rest.

Getting your kid to sleep like a baby is harder than ever these days. If you have a teen, you know exactly what is this all about.

Edward Grandi with the American Sleep Apnea Association says, “They go to bed and immediately they’re texting their friends, or they’re looking at movies.”

Or they’re on Facebook or Twitter or checking their email, it’s endless. Read the rest of this entry

Two sleep disorders centers focussing on the children have opened up with dedicated sleep disorders programs  for the suburban Philadelphia residents. These two Philadelhia hospitals intend to help people who have trouble sleeping.

Crozer-Keystone Sleep Centers recently opened the Pediatric Sleep Center at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. Mercy Suburban Hospital in East Norriton also recently opened a sleep disorders center for adults on the third floor of its Medical Arts Pavilion.

Crozer-Keystone Sleep Centers has been opened by Crozer-Keystone Health System to serve children ages six months to 16 years with problems such as sleep apnea, sleep walking, insomnia and night terrors. Read the rest of this entry

A new study presented in November at the American College of Allergy, Asthma  and Immunology Annual Meeting found that obese adolescents have an increased risk of sleep apnea or abnormal breathing during sleep.

Previous research has shown that obese children and teenagers are at higher  risk of health-related problems, including heart disease, diabetes, high blood  pressure and asthma. Children who are overweight are nearly 2-1/2 times more  likely to have asthma than those who are not overweight. Now, this new study  highlights how obesity may interfere with a child’s ability to have restful  sleep.

“Quality nighttime sleep is a key component for advanced executive function  in children and teenagers,” says Sushmita Mikkilineni, M.D., Director Pediatric  Pulmonology for Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ) at Newark Beth Israel  Medical Center. “Untreated pediatric sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, can  exact a heavy toll on young people. Children suffering from sleep disorders may  be hyperactive, inattentive, and chronically tired.” Read the rest of this entry

University of Chicago scientists have dovered important new relationships between obesity, sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and cognitive processing among elementary school children.

“The intricate interdependencies between BMI, SDB and cognition shown in our study are of particular importance in children, as their brains are still rapidly developing,” says study author Karen Spruyt, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Pritzer School of Medicine. “Rising rates of obesity in children may amplify these relationships. Public health campaigns targeting obesity should emphasize not only the health benefits but the potential educational benefits of losing weight.”

The findings were published online ahead of print publication in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Read the rest of this entry

Snoring is among the common sleep problems in adults, especially in middle-aged men. And children and kids are equally prone to this most uncomfortable sleep disorder.The effects of snoring upon the overall health of children is established to be detrimental up to great extent.

Association of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA among kids and children has now become a more common occurrence. Across the globe occurrence of persistent snoring on most nights has been reported in 8-12 percent of children.

The incidence of OSA (with significant upper airway obstruction leading to   oxygen desaturation and/or sleep fragmentation) is 2-3 percent in children under the age of 10. Read the rest of this entry

A multidisciplinary clinical practice guideline, “Polysomnography for  Sleep-Disordered Breathing Prior to Tonsillectomy in Children“, was  published as a supplement to the July issue of Otolaryngology—Head  and Neck Surgery. This guideline provides otolaryngologists with  evidence-based recommendations for using polysomnography in assessing  children, aged 2 to 18 years, with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and  who are candidates for tonsillectomy, with or without adenoidectomy.

Polysomnography (PSG) is presently the gold standard for diagnosing  and quantifying sleep-disordered breathing in children. SDB affects  approximately 12% of children with manifestations ranging from simple  snoring to potentially serious conditions, including sleep apnea. SDB is  also the most common indication for tonsillectomy with or without  adenoidectomy in the United States. Since more than 530,000  tonsillectomies are performed annually on children younger than the age  of 15, primarily for SDB, clear and actionable guidance on optimal use  of PSG is strongly needed. Read the rest of this entry

Is your child overtired? Overscheduled?  Overstimulated? Is the home chaotic? Is your child getting enough sleep? Do they have a  routine before going to sleep at night?

It is most important to evaluate sleep problems. The ADHD symptoms could be the result of sleep  apnea or too much stimulation from electronics in general – but especially  before bed. (Electronic light exposure prior to bedtime can decrease melatonin  production, making it harder to fall asleep).

There are also a host of natural alternatives to  stimulants for ADHD. During  the day, kids showing symptoms of ADHD need extra, structured movement to help  normalize energy levels. Such activity can include a regimen of walking daily  for prolonged periods of time.

Parents should also avoid foods that rob the body of  magnesium, like soda and caffeine. It’s a good idea to plan a diet high in natural  magnesium, with at least one serving of a true dark green vegetable, like  spinach, and also a handful of nuts. (For young children, parents can consider  juicing spinach and/or slowly increasing the amount of dark greens in a soup or  introducing fruits juiced with ever increasing amounts of greens).[ Read Complete Post By Dr. Robert Tozzi At Fox News ...   ]

Research under way at the University of Arizona is revealing a connection between quality of sleep and the learning and memory functions in children with Down Syndrome.

“It’s well known that children with Down Syndrome are vulnerable to developing sleep apnea which results in pauses in breathing,” UA psychology student Jennifer Breslin says. Breslin has been conducting a study looking at children with Down
Syndrome and the occurrence of sleep apnea.

“if we can demonstrate that kids with poor sleep have poor cognitive outcomes, we can make a case for intervention and ultimately improving their behavior and learning ability,” she says. “If we could give these kids a better quality of life, that would be awesome.”

The developmental disorder is caused by an extra chromosome and is named after John Langdon Down, a British physician who described the illness in 1866. Read the rest of this entry

Childhood obesity in North Carolina is at 33.5% according to the  National Conference of State Legislatures. Raleigh  weight loss problems mount as the state will pay $2.138 billion in annual  medical costs of obesity.

One in three children are overweight or obese. Childhood obesity has  increased over 300% in the past 30 years according to the CDC (Center for  Disease Control). Obesity among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5%  in 1980 to 19.6% in 2008. Obesity among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years  increased from 5.0% to 18.1% during the same time period.

The risk factors for obesity in children and adolescents are cardiovascular  disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure. To make matters worse, they are  at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea and poor self-esteem.  Overweight and obese children are more likely to be overweight or obese in their  adult years. This increases their chances of developing heart disease, type 2  diabetes, stroke, cancer and osteoarthritis.

Knowing these facts; would one ever say to your overweight or obese child,  Sweetie, let’s go get some cheeseburgers, fries and a milk shake so later in  life it can result in a heart attack.

Kids with sleep apnea briefly stop breathing several times nightly; each subtle mini-awakening keeps them from getting essential deep sleep. They often have learning and behavior problems, and they’re at increased risk for higher blood pressure.

A recent study of healthy elementary school kids found a quarter had mild sleep apnea (often caused by chronic sinus infections); one (01) percent suffered severely. Obesity, the usual trigger in adults, sometimes plays a role, but the likeliest cause is oversize tonsils or adenoids.

School age kids with sleep apnea usually breathe noisily or snore. Your sleeping child’s chest may also move vigorously or his head tip back in a groggy attempt to get more air.

The only way to confirm sleep apnea is to visit a sleep lab. It’s treated by removing tonsils and adenoids or by helping your child shed excess pounds. Sinus medication may help, as might sleeping with the head propped up.