This issue of includes the

This issue of includes the second part of our , coordinated by Dr. Edgar Garcia-Rill (University of Arkansas, Little Rock, USA) and Dr. Francisco Urbano (University of Buenos Aires, Argentina). In the previous issue of Sleep Science, the group headed by Dr. Edgar Garcia-Rill published the first two review articles on the theme, focusing on the relation of the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) with schizophrenia and insomnia. In this issue, the author addresses the link between the reticular activating system (RAS) and deep brain stimulation and psychostimulant abuse.
Introduction Sleep is a vital physiological function and is known to be crucial to physical and mental health in children. Sleep Disorders (SlD) are among the most common complaints in childhood, often undervalued by clinicians. Large epidemiological studies have found that about 30% of children suffer from sleep problems [1–4]. Extrinsic and intrinsic factors influence sleep, particularly socio-cultural environment and some medical conditions such as breathing disorders [5,6]. Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is increasingly recognized in children with primary snoring, upper airway resistance syndrome and obstructive sleep Asiaticoside (OSA). A combination of anatomic factors such as adenotonsillar hypertrophy and decreased oropharyngeal dimensions is involved in the development of SDB, as well as overweight and obesity in children [7]. Snoring is more common in adults than in children, although it is estimated that approximately 6–12% of children snore frequently and that between 1% and 3% of children suffer from obstructive sleep apnea hypoventilation syndrome [8,9]. SDB includes potentially severe complications for children such as neurobehavioural and cognitive, as well as the consequences in adulthood with an increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome with hypertension, obesity and insulin resistance [10,11]. It is recognized that poor sleep habits have physical, educational and social consequences [12]. As a result, it often interferes with daily life activities and family functioning. Family systems are dynamic, with reciprocal interactions that could have impact in child sleep, as well as child sleep problems can lead to family conflicts [13]. Not least important is the role of children׳s sleeping disorders in their mental health in adulthood [14]. The high prevalence of sleep problems, their negative implications for children and family and the success of educational interventions emphasize the need for early screening of Sleep Disorders [15]. Questionnaires are applied in clinical practice as recognized screening methods to evaluate sleep [16].
Material and methods
Results A total of 128 children were considered eligible (Fig. 1).
Discussion The prevalence of SlD found (59.4%) was higher than reported in the medical literature [1–4]. A possible explanation may be related with low parents’ education. Subscales associated with behavioral SlD were the most relevant in this sample, fact explained by the capability of CSHQ-PT on the evaluation of this kind of disturbances. The higher scores in bedtime resistance and parasomnias, obtained by the CSHQ-PT subscales of this study, when compared to those of CSHQ-PT validation study, are probably due to the type of families involved. In fact, children living in a single parent family had more sleep disturbances (p=0.048), especially parasomnias (p=0.019). The fact of co-sleeping being more practiced in monoparental families brings more awareness of parents for perceiving sleep disturbances. In what concerns to SDB, children had more daytime sleepiness (p=0.034). According to the literature, SDB should also influence school performance [18]; however this was not found in this study. This lack of association was probably due to the sample size. The low rate of school retention (3.2%) may have led to an underestimation of the association between children׳s school performance and Sleep Disorders in general, and SBD in particular. The same happened regarding overweight (8.0%).