Sleep Disorders in Infants, Children, and Adolescents with Neurodevelopmental and Psychiatric Comorbidities

Dear Colleagues,

Pediatric sleep research is a rapidly growing field. Sleep disorders affect children and families in various ways. There is a vast literature on the effects of sleep disorders on daytime symptoms, behaviors, and overall health in children. For instance, a large body of literature supports the adverse effects of sleep disruption on behavior, cognition, and academic performance. Obstructive sleep apnea in children has also been associated with increased cardiovascular risks. Restless legs syndrome is often present in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Newly described restless sleep disorder can present with daytime symptoms of sleepiness or mood changes. There is a bidirectional relationship between sleep disorders and psychiatric disorders. Children with depression or anxiety have sleep complaints and children with sleep disorders are at higher risk of depression/anxiety.

In this Special Issue, we will cover this important relationship between sleep disorders and psychiatric/neurodevelopmental comorbidities, what the consequences of sleep disorders in children are, and how psychiatric conditions affect sleep. Three main sleep categories will be our focus: socio-emotional and behavioral problems in relation to poor sleep, sleep-related breathing disorders, and restless sleep disorder investigations, including sleep-focused COVID-19 studies.

During these challenging times, children spend more time indoors. This may affect their sleep habits. In particular, it is hard to get the external cues to keep our body clock in rhythm. Bedtimes shift and children worry, which potentially influences sleep quantity. In addition, some may exhibit (additional) sleep problems. An increasing number of studies in children are investigating the impact of poor sleep, in terms of quantity, quality, regularity, and timing, on their wellbeing.

We hope with this Special Issue to highlight innovative science pertaining to poor sleep in childhood in relation to psychiatric conditions and consequences.

Dr. Karen Spruyt
Dr. Umakanth Katwa
Dr. Lourdes Delrosso
Guest Editors

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• sleep-related disordered breathing
• cognition
• behavior
• restlesness
• poor sleep
• child
• adolescent