Restless Sleep Disorder By Melissa Krell, ARNP, DNP
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any parents describe their child’s sleep as restless. Their child might toss and turn throughout the night, end up facing a different direction by morning, or even fall out of the bed. Some parents describe their child as a “windmill” or may hear them moving during the night, all the way from another room. Many different underlying sleep and medical problems can cause restless sleep including asthma, anxiety and depression, chronic pain, or obstructive sleep apnea. When there seems to be no obvious underlying cause of restlessness during sleep, children may be diagnosed with restless sleep disorder (RSD).
WHAT IS RESTLESS SLEEP DISORDER? RSD is a recently defined sleep movement disorder that can affect children 6-18 years old. It consists of large body movements that are disruptive to sleep, impact daytime functioning, and can’t be explained by another sleep or medical disorder.
24 | Winter 2022 | Restless Legs Syndrome
