Pediatric Sleep Medicine

If your child is having difficulty sleeping, you may want to see a sleep specialist who is trained in children’s sleep disorders.

UMass Memorial Children's Medical Center board-certified pulmonary and neurology sleep specialists work together to help you and your child resolve sleep problems so that your child can lead a healthier life. Whether it’s sleep apnea, leg movement disorders or snoring, sleep problems can have significant consequences on the health and functioning of your child. Sleep disorders can cause a variety of problems during childhood, such as:

• Negative impact on growth and development
• Headaches
• Difficulties in learning as memories are stored while sleeping
• Lack of motivation to learn
• Poor focus and attention
• Less participation in activities
• Irritability and fussiness

Sleep Disorders We Treat

Diagnosis and treatment is available for sleep disorders, including:

• Sleep apnea
• Periodic leg movement syndrome
• Restless leg syndrome
• Insomnia
• Parasomnias (night terrors, sleep walking)
• Delayed sleep phase syndrome
• Narcolepsy and cataplexy
• Behavioral insomnia of childhood

In some cases sleep disorders overlap with neurological conditions (such as epilepsy), so accurate diagnosis is key. Our team includes a epileptologist (pediatric neurologist with additional training in epilepsy).

Treatment plans may include behavioral modifications, medications, removal of enlarged tonsils and adenoids and/or continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).

The center is proud to have the only board-certified pediatric sleep medicine specialists in Central Massachusetts.