Insomnia & Sleep Drugs in Children
A study found that among children visiting child psychologists for mental health issues, 20% of preschoolers, and a third of school-aged children and adolescents, suffer from insomnia.
Researchers also discovered many of these young patients receive drugs to promote sleep. This is a substantial percentage to have sleep problems.
The psychologists prescribed drugs to alleviate the impact late-onset sleep and disturbed sleep have on daytime functioning; also, medications prescribed for psychological issues may have a negative effect on sleep.
Despite prescribing a wide array of sleep medications, the psychologists expressed concerns about the use of sleep medications – including sedatives, antihistamines and antidepressants – by children with many pointing out that little data exist on the effectiveness and safety of these drugs in children and adolescents.
The researchers concluded there is need for further study on appropriate treatment choices for children with sleep problems. They also reported that past studies found behavioral treatments such as relaxation techniques, sleep restriction and cognitive behavioral therapy to be effective for childhood insomnia.
This study will appear in the August 2010 
print issue of the journal, Sleep Medicine. Further details can be read online now at: http://bit.ly/aYBILR.
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