Sleep Medicine

The Sleep Medicine Department at Riley at IU Health is the only American Academy of Sleep Medicine-accredited sleep program exclusively for children in Indiana. Board certified sleep medicine specialists evaluate children and work with your child's primary care doctor to develop an individualized treatment plan. We provide comprehensive care through a team of specialists that includes doctors with additional training in pediatric pulmonology, pediatric neurology and child psychology. Our team also includes dedicated nurse coordinators, respiratory therapists and certified sleep educators.

Symptoms of sleep disorders can include:

• Regular snoring or difficulty breathing while sleeping
• Recurrent nightmares or unusual behaviors during sleep, such as sleepwalking
• Repeated difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Restlessness that prevents your child from falling or staying asleep

If your child has any of these symptoms or if you think he or she has a sleep problem, the first step is an evaluation by your child's primary care doctor. The doctor may refer you to our sleep medicine specialists or behavioral sleep specialist for issues that require more intensive care and management. If there are more complicated sleep problems, your child may receive care in the following areas:

• Insomnia. We thoroughly evaluate your child’s condition to identify factors contributing to insomnia. We will work with your child’s primary care doctor and family member taking care of the child to develop an individualized treatment plan.
• CPAP. We provide continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy to treat breathing conditions such as sleep apnea in children. For some cases, a sleep psychologist will facilitate acceptance of therapy when this is a challenge.
• Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program. A behavioral sleep medicine specialist will help address psychological and behavioral factors disrupting your child’s sleep.
• Sleep Lab. We can monitor your child while he or she sleeps using advanced technology to help diagnose sleep disorders such as sleep apnea.

Our sleep specialists are also experienced in managing the respiratory issues of neuromuscular conditions and Down syndrome.