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Insomnia: the Sleeping Giant of Pediatric Public Health

  • Child and Adolescent Disorders (TD Benton, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Insomnia among children and adolescents is ubiquitous and takes a great toll on youth and their families, impacting academic achievement, mood, social functioning, and a variety of developmental outcomes. Unfortunately, however, pediatric insomnia most often remains unidentified and untreated. When treatment is provided, it is most often in the form of medications, which are not FDA approved for that indication in children and adolescents. A comprehensive literature review was employed to establish the recommendations in this report. This article provides a review of sleep physiology and both current and recommended approaches to assessing and treating pediatric insomnia. Comprehensive assessment, accurate diagnosis, and evidence-based treatment of insomnia is imperative to the healthy development of children and adolescents. While clinicians often prescribe a variety of medications to treat pediatric insomnia, there is insufficient data to demonstrate efficacy and endorse their routine use. At this time, behavioral techniques, such as cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia and sleep hygiene education, should remain the first line of treatment. As a second-line consideration, melatonin, a dietary supplement, may be effective. Pediatric insomnia has an enormous impact on children, adolescents, and their families that requires adequate attention from clinicians and parents alike.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, One Park Ave, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Emily Badin, Cynthia Haddad & Jess Parker Shatkin

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  1. Emily Badin
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  2. Cynthia Haddad
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  3. Jess Parker Shatkin
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Correspondence to Jess Parker Shatkin.

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Emily Badin, Cynthia Haddad, and Jess Parker Shatkin declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Child and Adolescent Disorders

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Badin, E., Haddad, C. & Shatkin, J.P. Insomnia: the Sleeping Giant of Pediatric Public Health. Curr Psychiatry Rep 18, 47 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-016-0687-0

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