Ep 017: Dr. Daniel Erichsen--How to help children and teens sleep better?

www.deepintosleep.co — Dr. Daniel Erichsen

with Dr. Yishan Xu

TODAY’S GUEST

Trouble sleeping is one of the most common symptoms of stress in kids, adults and anyone in between. Dr. Erichsen helps people of all ages get back to a place of sleeping well in clinic, using a YouTube channel & Podcast as well as an iPhone app (coming soon to android).

Dr. Erichsen received his medical degree from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, completed residency in pediatrics at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, NY and fellowship in sleep medicine at the University of Chicago.

Dr. Erichsen currently works as a sleep physician in Eugene, Oregon. I also host the Insomnia insight channel and sleep coach on BedTyme - The insomnia app.

WHAT WILL WE LEARN

Sleep apnea and insomnia can be seen among both adults and children/teens.

For younger children (younger than 10y), their parents’ exceptions and behaviors around their sleep may lead to sleep difficulties, and it is important to educate the parents.
For teens, anxiety and stress are in the picture sometimes in addition to insomnia.
- Education both teens and parents.
- Go to bed later, spend less time in bed.
- Get up at a consistent time in the morning.
- In some cases, if parents can manage their own anxiety, and allow teens to have some relaxing down time before bedtime, instead of forcing sleep, it may be helpful.
Sleep hygiene sometimes causes more harm than help, by promoting control of sleep.
Melatonin
- It is dangerous to rely on something external to try to control our sleep.
- Melatonin does not produce sleep, our body produces sleep by itself. E.g., when you take a sleeping pill every 6 hours, you don’t end up sleeping for 24 hours, this is the evidence
CBTi (CBT for Insomnia) is the best way treating insomn