When your child doesn’t sleep well at night, is constantly cranky or seems overly sleepy during the day, your child may have a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea. At Nemours, our sleep medicine experts are board-certified pediatricians and pulmonologists (lung doctors) with special training in evaluating the causes of, and treating sleep disorders such as sleep apnea in children.
Most children have a restless night every now and then — but when it becomes a habit and your child is not getting enough sleep or quality sleep, it could lead to other physical and mental problems.
At Nemours, our team of sleep medicine experts will take a complete medical history of your child and perform a complete physical examination.
On overnight sleep study — polysomnography — conducted at one of our Sleep Centers, will measure your child’s quality, quantity, and breathing patterns during sleep.
Orlando
Nemours Children's Clinic, Orlando
1717 South Orange Avenue,
Suite 100
Orlando, FL 32806
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Phone: (407) 650-7000
Hours: Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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Sleep studies are performed every day of the week starting at 7 p.m.
Sleep Lab Phone: (407) 650-7679
Weekends & After Hours: (407) 650-7679
- photo ID
- medical and pharmacy insurance cards
- preferred pharmacy name and phone number
- names and dosage of all medications, including over-the-counter medication, your child is currently taking
- guardianship and custody papers, if a legal guardian rather than a parent accompanies your child
For Our Sleep Clinic
Items to Bring With You and Your Child to the Sleep Center
- loose-fitting, two-piece pajamas, t-shirt and elastic waistband shorts or a diaper and t-shirt for infants
- a blanket and pillow will be provided, but you may bring your own, too
- stuffed animals
- toothbrush
- nebulizer or ventilator (if needed)
- any food items or drinks your child may need during the night – bring all equipment and supplies if tube feeding is required
- any required medications (in the original containers) your child may need to take at bedtime or during the night
For Our Sleep Clinic
Resources for Patients & Families
- Insurance We Accept: See accepted insurance, listed by location
- Pay Your Bill: Use online bill pay or send by mail
- Financial Assistance: Help with your child's health care expenses
- MyNemours: Access your child’s medical record online
Your child’s pediatric sleep study will be conducted onsite at Nemours Children’s Clinic, Orlando. Please arrive 15 minutes before your child’s scheduled appointment. Security will escort you to the Sleep Center on the 3rd floor of the Clinic.
A registered sleep technologist will direct you and your child to a private room with linens in the bathroom. Typically, the sleep study is completed between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m., and a report will be compiled and sent to your child’s primary care provider and referring doctor.
As a parent, you know the value of a good night’s sleep on your child’s overall well-being. Our pediatric sleep medicine specialists at our Orlando clinic, know the value of your child getting a good night’s sleep as well. Sleep not only allows your child’s body to rest from the day’s activities, but it plays an important role in your child’s mental and physical development. When your child doesn’t get enough sleep, or quality sleep, the cause may be related to a medical or behavioral condition.
Our team of pediatric sleep medicine experts include board certified pediatricians and pulmonologists (lung doctors), and registered respiratory therapists and sleep technologists.
They will help diagnose the root of your child’s sleep problem by conducting a sleep study evaluation at our outpatient Sleep Center Lab at Nemours. This study will help our specialists get to the bottom of what’s going on and address ways to help your child start sleeping — and feeling better again.
A pediatric sleep study is an important tool that measures the quantity, quality, and breathing patterns of your child’s sleep. During normal sleep, the brain remains active and goes through several stages which can affect sleep.
The sleep study will help determine if your child:
- has a breathing or movement disorder
- problems falling or staying asleep
- is experiencing a behavioral sleep disorder such as:
- poor school performance
- mood disorders
- attention deficit
- daytime drowsiness
Rest assured, the sleep study is not scary or painful in any way. And, we’ll make your child as comfortable as possible: you’ll have a private room with a TV, linens and pillows.
Although your child should sleep alone in the sleep study bed, you can be right there at the bedside the whole time. You can sleep in the same room on a couch that converts into a bed.
The sleep study begins with a registered sleep technologist attaching painless, sticky sensors to your child’s head, nose, mouth, chest, abdomen, index finger, and legs. When the sensors are removed, the sticky glue comes off easily in the bath. These sensors allow us to record your child’s breathing and sleep patterns. Once your child is connected to all the monitors and the study is being recorded, the lights will be turned off.
The pediatric sleep study will last the entire night while we record your child’s breathing and sleeping for up to eight hours.
»View Video on What to Expect From a Sleep Study
It’s a good idea to talk to your child a few days before the pediatric sleep study appointment. It may help to know that during the sleep study, you will be in the same room and your child can:
- call you or the sleep technician to go to the bathroom during the night if needed
- turn on the side to get comfortable
- call the sleep technician if the wires get tangled or start pulling
- the sticky glue comes off easily in a bath or shower
Be positive and reassuring. During the sleep study, encourage your child to relax and go to sleep. You may read a bedtime story to help calm your child.
- Wash your child’s hair before the sleep study and do not use gels, mousse, sprays or lotions, as they may interfere with the testing.
- Make sure to feed your child dinner before arriving at the Sleep Center.
- Check with the nurse practitioner before you give your child any over-the-counter cold or medications the day of the study.
- Do not allow your child to drink caffeinated beverages or eat chocolate after noon on the day of the study.
- Call to reschedule if your child develops fever, cough, runny nose, or any other health issue the day of or the day before the sleep study.
