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Posted by Greg Harper on March 28, 1998 at 20:27:21:In Reply to: Still looking for an answer... posted by Cheryl on March 25, 1998 at 11:38:38:
Dear Cheryl,
I guess the first question that I would ask is whether this medication program is allowing your son to get into stage 3&4 sleep? This would have required another sleep study to be sure.
These stages of sleep are very important for young children because of the release of growth hormone that occurs during this period of sleep. Stages 3&4 (slow wave sleep) are also are also considered by many to be time when restorative sleep takes place.
To be honest, if from a behavioral stand point, your son is showing signs of sleep deprivation (ie. ADHD), I would wonder if he is getting the intended therapeutic benefit from his medications. This is something that you should discuss with your physician.
By the way...are the physicians that he is seeing specialists in pediatric sleep disorders? And did the lab specialize in pediatric diagnostics? And/or did the lab have a technician who is knowledgeable about pediatric sleep and the different scoring parameters that are involved with children? Children are not just small adults when it comes to sleep and sleep disorders. They can have problems that present much differently than those of adults. Children can have severe problems that would be considered mild or insignificant by adult standards. This is because children have higher metabolic rates and different sleep requirements than adults do.
I do not mean to imply that your physician and the lab techs do not know what they doing. However, these are some of the questions that you need to ask so that you can have some pease-of-mind. It is completely understandable that you have these questions. You want to be a good advocate for your son.
You mentioned that he doesn't go into stage 3 sleep. Does this mean that he does go into stage 4 sleep and bypasses stage 3? Or, is it that he gets no slow wave sleep?
It would seem that he has a history of making a difficult transition from slow wave sleep to lighter stages of sleep. Sleep terrors seem to occur during this transitional period.
Children are at their deepest sleep of the night about 15 minutes after the onset of sleep. Most of the first part of the night is dominated by slow wave sleep in children and young adults. The second part of the night is lighter and has more REM sleep. It is during this transition phase that many people, adults and children alike, have difficulty.
You also mentioned that he has ADHD. Does he take a central nervous system stimulant for this? Ritalin is commonly prescribed.
I'm sorry that I have more questions than answers at this point.
Sincerely,
Greg Harper
- Re: Still looking for an answer... Sleepyrick 3/29/98 (0)
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