When a child often can't get a good night's sleep, many families find the help they need from the experts at the pediatric sleep medicine specialty group. This group is part of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The center is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Pediatric sleep specialists in this group also are part of the Mayo Clinic Children's Center.
Mayo Clinic doctors see more than 800 children with pediatric obstructive sleep apnea each year. And each year the Center for Sleep Medicine performs nearly 900 sleep studies to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep-related conditions.
What to expect at the sleep center
You first meet with a pediatric sleep specialist, either in person or with a virtual visit, who listens to your concerns and talks with you about your child's symptoms. Your child may then be scheduled for an overnight sleep study at the Center for Sleep Medicine. Overnight sleep studies for children, including infants, are offered Sunday through Thursday. You'll stay overnight at the sleep center too.
When you arrive, you and your child are shown to a sleep study room that has special monitoring equipment and given a chance to change into your pajamas. The sleep center technician applies electrodes to your child's head and arm. Then you go through your typical bedtime routine, such as having a snack, brushing your teeth and reading. During the night, the sleep center team monitors your child's breathing, oxygen levels, heartbeat, brain activity, body movements and snoring. The tests are noninvasive and not painful. In the morning, you go home.
Your doctor reviews the test results and meets with you and your child to discuss the results and possible treatment options for your child. This meeting might be in person or virtual.
A team focused on your child
Our doctors who treat children with sleep-related conditions have expertise in pediatrics, lung and breathing conditions (pediatric pulmonologists) and brain and nervous system conditions (pediatric neurologists). Your child's care team also includes a pediatric nurse practitioner and a child-life specialist.
Our sleep medicine doctors talk with you about your concerns and goals, and they work closely with other specialists to develop a personalized treatment plan for your child. This multispecialty team might include doctors trained in treating children (pediatricians), heart and blood vessel conditions (pediatric cardiologists), mental health conditions (pediatric psychiatrists and psychologists), or ear, nose and throat conditions (pediatric otolaryngologists). The team also might include dental specialists and pediatric oral and maxillofacial surgeons.
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is ranked among the Best Hospitals for ear, nose and throat, for neurology and neurosurgery, and for respiratory disorders by U.S. News & World Report. Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is ranked top performing for psychiatry by U.S. News & World Report.
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Minnesota
Dec. 05, 2024