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Tips to Deal with Paediatric Hypersomnia

     

     

    Tips to Deal with Paediatric Hypersomnia

     

     

    Hypersomnolence or hypersomnia happens to be a condition of EDS or Excessive Daytime Sleepiness.

    A lack of night time sleep is actually responsible for many daytime sleep problems. But people who suffer from hypersomnia can sleep for about 10 hours of more every night.

    Kids very rarely suffer from this condition.

     

    Types of Paediatric Hypersomnia

    Paediatric hypersomnia belongs to the Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence class of sleep conditions or disorders.

    Paediatric Hypersomnia is of 2 types –

    • Primary Hypersomnia

    This type is also known as Idiopathic hypersomnia and it comes with no distinguishable cause as such.

    • Secondary Hypersomnia

    This one can be caused by some other issues like medical problems and lack of sleep including sleep apnea.

     

    Symptoms of Paediatric Hypersomnia

    Here are some of the symptoms of paediatric hypersomnia that you should be aware of.

    • Excessive sleepiness during the daytime.

    • Excessive sleep about 10 hours or more at night and. Sufferers can sleep for about 16 hours a day.

    • Problems in waking up from sleep even with lights, multiple alarms and assistance from the others.

    • Cognitive dysfunction which includes the automatic behaviour, memory issues and problems with attention and concentration.

    • Frequent unrefreshing and long naps. Sleepiness is rarely alleviated by naps even if they are taken for several hours and sleep drunkenness follows when one wakes up from the small naps.

     

    Treatments or Tips to Deal with Paediatric Hypersomnia

    Here are some the tips or treatments that can help you to deal with paediatric hypersomnia in your kids.

     

    Idiopathic or Primary Hypersomnia

    Unfortunately, there is no cure for this type of hypersomnia. The medications for narcolepsy can be used for controlling Idiopathic hypersomnia or IH to some extent.

    Most of the treatments are focussed on the Excessive Daytime Sleepiness symptoms and there is no prescribed treatment for controlling the other symptoms like cognitive dysfunction or sleep drunkenness.

    The IH symptoms can be controlled partially by following a good sleep hygiene.

     

    Sleep Hygiene Tips

    To avoid the sleeping problem, the sleep hygiene techniques are actually recommended for everyone. Though not the exact treatment, but these sleep hygiene tips will help those with IH.

    • Avoid the caffeinated beverages prior to bedtime.

    • Avoid going for naps during the daytime or regulate sleep patterns by opting for scheduled naps.

    • Try to maintain a consistent sleep schedule and wake up on the same time everyday including that of the weekends.

    • Use blackout shades.

    • Don’t be too hard on yourself as a sufferer of IH and do not push your yourself to accomplish more than reality. This is because we should all listen to our bodies and sleep when the need arises even if it decreases our productivity to some extent.

     

    Secondary Hypersomnia

    For treating the secondary hypersomnia, the following medications can be used.

    • Medications for Waking Up – Armodafinil, modafinil and other medications can modify the brain chemistry and boost wakefulness. However, these are not stimulants. Potentially life-threatening rash and headaches are the side-effects of armodafinil and modafinil.

    • Stimulants – The stimulants are amphetamine derivatives. These can prevent your kid from daytime napping. Methylphenidate (Ritalin) and dextroamphetamine are the usual prescribed stimulants in this case. The stimulants can have harmful side-effects like dependence, aggressiveness and heart issues.

    • Sodium Oxybate – The sodium oxybate happens to a drug that your kid can take when retiring to bed and also later at night. It promotes sleep so that day time sleepiness can be reduced.

     

    The greatest problem for the sufferers of paediatric hypersomnia, especially for those suffering from idiopathic hypersomnia is that they almost never feel completely awake. Naturally, the patient’s life gets affected from this constant feeling of sedation. Troubles with family and social life, deteriorating performance at school and work and dangers of operating machinery or driving can all bring in trouble for the patient.

    So if you see your kid go through any of the symptoms mentioned in this article or find her suffering from any other sleeping issues you should immediately try to consult with the most reputed sleep apnea doctor in your area to help your child with the condition.

     

     

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