How common are sleep problems in children with ADHD?

Up to 70% of children with ADHD suffer from problems with their sleep. Almost half the parents of a child with ADHD say that their child has moderate to serious sleep problems. Children with ADHD may have behavioural sleep problems or

1. What is known?

From an early age, children on the autism spectrum are at higher risk of poor sleep than typically developing children. Studies suggest that up to 80% of autistic children may have sleep difficulties at some time in childhood. For many children, these sleep problems can

How common is it?

It is very common.  Most children need to wear a nappy or protective pants at night to avoid wetting their bed up until at least age five. At four years of age nearly one in three children wet, and this falls to about one in 10 by age six. Some teenagers wet the bed too

What are some common behavioural sleep problems in children?

The most common issues are: not getting into bed; not settling into sleep; not staying in their own bed; waking up at night; getting up in the morning and / or not getting enough sleep.

What can you do to get your child into bed at

How are snoring and sleep apnea related?

A child with sleep apnea almost always snores. They may struggle to breathe and have restless sleep. There are often breathing pauses which may end with a gasping or choking noise. As the child struggles to breathe, they may wake up briefly. In young

Sleep. Who needs it?

Newborn babies find it easy. Toddlers sometimes find it daunting. Teenagers are convinced they don't need it. Adults want it but frequently don't have the time for it. Seniors have time for it but often can't achieve it. Yet it's a simple fact that whatever your age, getting

We all dream every night
Our brains are active throughout the night. But after we wake up, we often don't remember much about our dreams.

We dream most vividly during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep
Some of our sleep has vivid, structured thoughts - or dreams. These occur during a stage of sleep

Why is sleep so important?

Sleep is vital for children’s and adolescents’ wellbeing. Sleep supports healthy development of the body and mind. Evidence shows that children and adolescents who do not get enough sleep have more trouble learning. They are less attentive and motivated, have

 How do our sleep needs change with age?

It is well known that as children get older they need less sleep. Different people have different sleep needs. The advice in the table below is only a guide. You can make a good guess if a person is sleeping enough at night - observe how they act and

What is melatonin?
Melatonin is a hormone produced in the body. Over a 24 hour period it is secreted in the evening and during the night. It is not normally secreted during the day. For more general information on melatonin please see our melatonin web page.

What can children use

Why safe sleeping is important.

• All parents want the best for their baby. Most parents know that some infants die unexpectedly in their sleep and are keen to know how to reduce the risk.
• Since safe sleeping recommendations were introduced in the early 1990’s the incidence of Sudden Unexpected

Sleep problems in school age children

There are a number of common sleep problems and sleep disorders that are known to affect children. 

These include:

You find it hard to get your child to settle into sleep at a reasonable time in the evening or your child wakes you more than once at

1. Establish a regular sleep pattern.
   Regular hours of sleep are important. It will help your child understand when it is time to sleep.  Also, your child will have better sleep. Bed time shouldn't vary by more than an hour across all days of the week - whether your child has an early start

1.Plan for the fact that your sleep pattern is going to change

Babies are not born with a day-night wake-sleep cycle.  They develop this over the first 3 months following birth.  So whilst a newborn baby may sleep a lot, they will also wake up a lot for feeds and other attention and

What is unique about teenagers’ sleep?

Teenagers' sleep tends to be less regular than the sleep of adults and young children. This means that the times when you go to bed on the weekend are not at all the same as on school nights. On weekends, you may go to bed much later. You may also wake up

1. Establish a regular sleep time
During the first weeks of life your baby does not yet have a set day-night rhythm. You can help create this rhythm by setting regular times for going to bed and waking up. These need to allow plenty of time for sleep. The more regular the hours, the stronger the