抖阴漫画

抖阴漫画 sleep fuels a child’s body and brain. Different phases of sleep consolidate learning and memory, drive growth hormone release, regulate cortisol and inflammation and clean out the byproducts of normal thinking. In growing brains, that cleanup and regulation are essential, says Dr. Erick Viorritto, a pediatric neurologist and sleep medicine specialist at Le Bonheur Children’s.

Common Pediatric Sleep Disorders

In clinic, Dr. Viorritto sees three broad categories of sleep disorders in kids:

• Excessive daytime sleepiness—kids who are sleepy when they shouldn’t be.
• Insomnia— kids who have difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or getting back to sleep.
• “Children that go bump in the night.” Kids who sleepwalk, have sleep terrors or experience restless leg syndrome. While these conditions aren’t harmful to kids, they can disrupt households or become risky, so they shouldn’t be ignored, says Dr. Vioritto.

“Sleeping Through the Night” Doesn’t Mean Never Waking

Parents often think uninterrupted sleep is the norm. Not so. “If you have a child who ‘sleeps through the night,’ they’re probably waking up anywhere from two to seven times a night. And that is not a sleep disorder. That is normal sleep,” explains Dr. Viorritto. The key is a child’s ability to fall back asleep quickly and independently—because falling asleep is a process every person has to do multiple times a night.

Problems emerge when kids need certain things to fall asleep that they can’t recreate at 2 a.m. when they wake on their own. “It is being unable to enter sleep without certain conditions,” he adds—like being rocked or having a parent in the bed. Each normal awakening then demands that condition again. But a stable, self-soothing cue (a favorite stuffed animal) lets kids return to sleep on their own. Children with dependent associations get on average one to two hours less sleep per night.

Build A Consistent, Screen-Free Bedtime Routine

Effective routines are consistent (applied every night), 30–60 minutes, screen-free and one-directional. “It should move towards the bed,” advises Dr. Viorritto. Include necessary tasks (bath, teeth brushing) plus calming choices (books, songs). Put the least-liked task early; you don’t want to end with a tantrum and adrenaline spike. Visual schedules help even toddlers understand what’s next.

Melatonin: Use Carefully—And Not As A First Step

No insomnia medication for kids has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and behavioral strategies work 70–90% of the time. Melatonin can help some children (especially with neurodevelopmental differences), but Dr. Viorritto cautioned families to treat it like a medicine: keep it out of reach (gummies look like candy), and don’t chase high doses. “Once you get above three milligrams or so, if it’s not working, you shouldn’t keep pushing it higher and higher. More is not always better,” he cautions. Because supplements vary in potency and purity, he advises choosing products with USP (United States Pharmacopeia) verification and always talk to your pediatrician before using.

When to Seek Professional Help

Bring up sleep concerns with your pediatrician—especially if issues persist for more than two to three months. Sleepiness in young children may look like tantrums, inattention or learning problems and can look exactly like ADHD. Loud snoring, extreme restlessness, or daytime impairment warrant further evaluation. And remember, conditions like narcolepsy—which affects about one in every 2,000 people—can cause persistent sleepiness despite eight to 10 hours of sleep.

The Bottom Line

We spend a third of our lives asleep; for kids, that third builds the other two. “If something feels off, the important thing is to bring it up,” Dr. Viorritto urges. With consistent routines, thoughtful habits and timely help when needed, most pediatric sleep problems can be solved.