Sleep medicine service – conditions we treat

The sleep medicine department at Evelina London Children's Hospital treats a number of conditions.

Excessive daytime sleepiness

Sleep-disordered breathing

  • Snoring
  • Noisy breathing
  • Sleeping with open mouth
  • Obstructive sleep apnoea (difficulty breathing while asleep, blockage of airflow)
  • Central sleep apnoea and hypoventilation (long pauses in breathing/under breathing in sleep).

Sleeplessness (insomnia)

  • Resisting bedtime
  • Problems getting to sleep
  • Frequent night-time waking
  • Irregular sleep patterns
  • Trouble with naps
  • Sleep schedule abnormalities
  • Eidetic imagery (imaginary play or intense imagery).

Sleepy teenagers

  • Difficulty falling asleep or waking at the desired hour
  • Remaining awake for long hours at night and sleeping until late hours in the morning/afternoon on weekends.
  • Feeling sleepy during the daytime
  • Insufficient sleep or inconsistent sleep schedule.

Parasomnias (unusual sudden night-time events)

  • Confusional arousals and sleep terrors (incomplete waking, crying or screaming, thrashing, looking upset or frightened)
  • Sleepwalking and sleep talking (while only partly awake)
  • Complex cases with uncertainty about nocturnal seizures or parasomnias.

Restless legs syndrome

  • Periodic limb movements in sleep – leg or arm jerks every 20 to 60 seconds while asleep
  • Restless leg syndrome (RLS) – restlessness / unpleasant feelings in legs during the evening or at bedtime