Improving sleep quality

Humans spend a third of their lives sleeping. For children with neurological disorders, achieving good sleep quality is a challenge. Research underway at Le Bonheur Children’s Sleep Center aims to better understand sleep challenges and find innovative solutions.

The Sleep Center at Le Bonheuris the only pediatric center in the region accredited by the American Association of Sleep Medicine. The eight-bed unit is open seven nights a week and includes a separate but attached room for the patient’s family member. The sleep center provides referring physicians with a full report within 10 days of the study.

“It’s more challenging to achieve good quality sleep in patients with neurological disorders because of the disrupted neurotransmitters due to the underlying brain injury. However, studies have shown that with regular cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, and with the help of some medications, a decent good quality sleep can be achieved,” said Ehab Dayyat, MD, Sleep Neurologist at Le BonheurChildren’s Hospital.

Projects underway include:

• A multi-center global clinical trial to study the efficacy and safety of Xyrem in controlling cataplexy and excessive daytime sleepiness in patients with narcolepsy/ cataplexy. This study includes 41 centers in the U.S. and eight centers in Europe
• Identifying a simple way using a questionnaire of sixquestions to screen for the presence of sleep-disordered breathing, after comparing them with objective findings from sleep studies
• Studying sleep changes in epilepsy patients with Vagal Nerve Stimulator
• Evaluating changes in sleep pattern in patients with dup15q syndrome using an actigraphic measurement and sleep studies
• Establishing a sleep center data registry with the Children’s Foundation Research Institute at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
• Educating pediatrics and medical/pediatrics residents and general pediatricians about the presence of sleep disordered breathing in patients with Down Syndrome and when to screen for it
• Studying the most specific subjective questions to evaluate for the presence of excessive daytime sleepiness. 
• Collaborating with the University of Chicago to identify specific microbiome – inflammatory markers in the stool, to screen for the presence of sleep-disordered breathing
• Collaborating with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Nursing to study Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) treatment in cognitive function
• Teaming up with the Pediatric Obesity program and Endocrinology team at Le Bonheur and UTHSC to measure the effect of sleep duration in obesity management
• Partnering with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to study the effect of excessive daytime sleepiness on cognition in patients with craniopharyngioma