Sleep health in children and adolescents

A child's sleep undergoes significant developmental alterations during early life that follows a distinct pattern. Understanding pediatric sleep requires a basic understanding of normal sleep patterns and the changes and development of sleep over infancy, childhood, and adolescence. An appreciation of these changes is necessary for the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of sleep disorders as well as for appropriate counseling, anticipatory guidance, and parental reassurance. This chapter reviews development of sleep from infancy through adolescence as well as the importance of and need for adequate and healthy sleep to achieve optimum health and development. This chapter also briefly reviews pediatric sleep apnea as it is one of the most common pediatric sleep disorder and can have a profound impact on cognition, health, and development.