Most Childhood Sleep Problems Are Preventable: Expert

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SUNDAY, Sept. 1Most sleep problems and bedtime challenges facing children are preventable, according to a pediatrician and safe-sleep expert.

Many parents deal with a sleep-related issue affecting their child at some point — and troubles for one child can affect an entire family, said Dr. Rachel Moon, who edited a book on sleep problems from the American Academy of Pediatrics, published in September.

“Almost every day in my clinical practice, at least one of my parents brings up a question about sleep,” Moon wrote in the book. “Many are unhappy or frustrated because their child isn’t sleeping how, when or where the parents want. What I usually find is that the sleep problem is often one that could have been avoided.”

Written with a team of pediatricians, the book addresses many common sleeping problems children encounter at various stages of development, such as nightmares, bedwetting and sleeping through the night, according to an academy news release.

Other topics in the book include the importance of parents understanding sleep cycles, how children’s sleep needs change as they grow and strategies to deal with common issues such as crying, bedtime resistance and teenage sleep binges.

More information

The U.S. National Sleep Foundation provides more information on children and sleep.

Source: HealthDay

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