Studer Family Children's Hospital Pediatric Sleep Center

When your child has a sleep disorder, it can affect their physical and emotional health. At Studer Family Children's Hospital Pediatric Sleep Center at Ascension Sacred Heart in Pensacola, Florida, your child and family are connected to diagnostic testing and a multispecialty care team experienced in treating sleep disorders in newborns to age 21. Our sleep center is accredited with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Your child’s doctor listens to understand your concerns about your child’s breathing, napping, and nightly sleep routine. Then, we work with you to create a care plan that helps improve your child’s quality of sleep. Your child’s doctor may recommend a diagnostic sleep study to help determine if your child has a sleep disorder. These tests can also help determine if a sleep disorder is affecting your child’s heart, lungs, and brain.

Symptoms of a sleep disorder may include excessive daytime sleepiness, irritability, behavior problems, and learning difficulties. Our pediatric sleep doctors specialize in treatments for pediatric sleep disorders, including:

• Difficulty falling asleep (insomnia)
• Difficulty staying awake (narcolepsy)
• Jerky legs while sleeping (periodic limb movement disorder)
• Restless leg syndrome (while awake)
• Sleep apnea
• Sleepwalking and night terrors (parasomnia)

Diagnostic tests and treatments for pediatric sleep disorders

Treating a pediatric sleep disorder is different from treating an adult with a sleep condition. We provide a range of tests and treatment options, including:

• Daytime sleepiness testing (MSLT)
• Daytime sleep study of positive airway pressure ( PAP-NAPS)
• Home sleep study testing
• Measure and adjust CPAP/BiPAP air pressure
• Nighttime sleep seizure monitoring
• Obstructive sleep study (Auto SV)
• Oxygen evaluation testing
• Sleep study (polysomnography recording)
• Ventilatory treatment both air volume and pressure study (AVAPS)
• Wakefulness testing (MWT)

Some sleep disorders may be related to other physical or emotional health conditions. If your child needs additional care, we connect your family with the right specialists at Studer Family Children’s Hospital.

National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification

Studer Family Children’s Hospital is awarded the Gold Safe Sleep Champion Certification by Cribs for Kids’. The National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification program recognizes hospitals and hospital systems for their commitment to infant safe sleep to reduce the risk of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed (ASSB), sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and unsafe sleep injuries.

Best practices for safe sleep

The American Academy of Pediatrics provides education and guidance to parents and caregivers on safe sleep practices. Guidance for safe sleeping includes these recommendations:

• Breastfeed if possible, and avoid smoking.
• Keep loose blankets, pillows, stuffed toys, bumpers, and other soft items out of the sleep space.
• Place infants on their backs for sleep in their own sleep space with no other people.
• Use a crib, bassinet, or portable play yard with a firm, flat mattress and a fitted sheet. Avoid sleeping on a couch or armchair or in a seating device, like a swing or car safety seat (except while riding in the car).