Behavioural sleep problems are very common in children and are concerns for many parents. This review discusses normal sleep physiology and sleep development and focuses on common behavioural sleep problems in childhood, including behavioural insomnia of childhood, parasomnias and sleep-related movement disorders, highlighting their clinical features and management. Behavioural insomnia of childhood is characterised by learned difficulties in falling asleep and/or staying asleep. Management includes establishing bedtime routines and behavioural techniques. Parasomnias include confusional arousals, sleepwalking, sleep terrors and nightmares, and these usually resolve with time. Management includes parental reassurance and behavioural interventions such as scheduled awakening. With regards to sleep enuresis, management includes behavioural modifications, enuresis alarm and desmopressin. Sleep-related movement disorders include sleep-related bruxism and sleep-related rhythmic movements, of which body rocking is the most common. Early identification and management of behavioural sleep problems may prevent their negative impact on children as well as their families.
Humans ; Child ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/therapy* ; Sleep Wake Disorders/complications* ; Parasomnias/therapy* ; Sleep/physiology*

Hypnosis can be defined as a procedure during which changes in sensations, perceptions, thoughts, feelings or behaviour are suggested. Hypnosis can be used to amplify whatever it is about therapy that makes it therapeutic. It permits a wide range of choices regarding where and how to intervene in the patient's problems. In this paper, we set out to examine the rationale of using hypnotherapy to manage various types of sleep disorders, and to explore the techniques, strategies and hypnotic scripts employed by various hypnotherapists. We also examine the research data available on the efficacy of hypnosis in the treatment of sleep disorders. Acute and chronic insomnia often respond to relaxation and hypnotherapy approaches, along with sleep hygiene instructions. Hypnotherapy has also helped with nightmares and sleep terrors. There are several reports of successful use of hypnotherapy for parasomnias, specifically for head and body rocking, bedwetting and sleepwalking. Hypnosis is a specialised technique, not a therapy itself, and should be used as an adjunctive intervention within a complete psychological and medical treatment package. Most of the literature is limited to case reports or studies with such a small sample that at times it is very difficult to interpret the results. There is a major placebo effect, so uncontrolled trials are of limited value. It is hard to perform a randomised, double-blind, controlled trial to evaluate hypnotherapy given that cooperation and rapport between patient and therapist is needed to achieve a receptive trance state.
Humans ; Hypnosis ; Nocturnal Enuresis ; therapy ; Parasomnias ; therapy ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; therapy