Review of Childhood Sleep Disorders - Abstract
Introduction: Sleep disorders in childhood are common complaints in pediatric consultations, so it is important to understand these disorders. Patients can be classified as those who cannot sleep, those who will not sleep, those with daytime sleepiness and those who have increased movements during sleep. The most frequent disorders are insomnia, parasomnias, nocturnal enuresis, noisy sleep and daytime tiredness.
Methodology: A non-systematic review was carried out focusing on the physiological aspects of sleep, the identification and management of the most prevalent sleep disorders in childhood. The research was made using classic articles and books from the literature of the last 20 years. The query in the online databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, Scielo and Medline) was made using terms as “sleep development”, “childhood sleep”, “sleep disorders” and “sleep hygiene”. This article discusses the normal sleep pattern, the definition of sleep disorders, etiologies, epidemiology, clinical characteristics and therapeutic management.
Final considerations: It is necessary to understand that normal sleep patterns vary with age, along with the characteristics of sleep. For this, it is essential to carry out a structured anamnesis, with the purpose not only of diagnosis but also as a basis for the most appropriate therapeutic methods for each situation.