09 | 5 | 2007 Posted By Regan Zambri & Long

Children Receive Insomnia Drugs at High Rates: New Study

Although no sleeping pills are currently approved for use in children, 80% of children who visit their doctor for help with insomnia wind up with a prescription for sleeping pills, according to a new study published in the journal SLEEP.  The findings dovetail with a 2004 poll by the National Sleep Foundation suggesting that sleeping problems are a common problem among U.S. children. 

According to the new study, approximately 60% of kids below the age of 11 have trouble sleeping at least a few nights per week, and 75% of parents indicated that they would like to correct some aspect of their child's sleep pattern.  Only seven percent of the patients studied had been given diet and nutrition counseling, only 22% were offered behavioral therapy and 17% were offered mental health and stress management treatment.  Those patients who saw a psychiatrist were three times as likely to be prescribed a drug as those who saw a general practitioner. 

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine offers the following tips to help your children get a good night's sleep:

  • "Follow a consistent bedtime routine.
  • Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime.
  • Get a full night’s sleep every night.
  • Avoid foods or drinks that contain caffeine, as well as any medicine that has a stimulant, prior to bedtime.
  • Do not go to bed hungry, but don’t eat a big meal before bedtime either.
  • The bedroom should be quiet, dark and a little bit cool.
  • Get up at the same time every morning."
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