Does my child need to see a doctor for sleep issues?

While studies show that up to 50% of children will experience a sleep problem, the percentages are higher in kids with disabilities. One night of bad sleep isn’t typically a big deal, but it becomes a problem if we’re seeing that happening consistently, multiple times a week, or if it's interfering with their day-to-day functioning, such as if they're waking up every day and going to school feeling exhausted and not able to participate, or they’re needing a lot of naps. All this can be dependent on the length of sleep but also the quality of sleep — for example, if a child has sleep apnea or nightmares and wakes up so frequently that they don’t get restful sleep at night. If you notice that your child is getting eight hours of sleep but is still feeling exhausted, that should be explored by a doctor and possibly a sleep study.

If your child is having challenges with sleep, it may be confusing trying to figure out who to see. A pediatrician? A pulmonologist? A sleep specialist? A sleep trainer? While the first step is often making an appointment with your pediatrician, if their recommendations don’t work, the next step is always a specialist. If it’s a breathing-related problem, like sleep apnea, your go-to is a pulmonologist. If the problem is sleeplessness, like insomnia, someone like a sleep doctor/sleep specialist is much more helpful. It depends on what you feel is the primary cause for the sleep problem.

For more information, see our full article Sleep Issues in Children with Disabilities.