[The child insomniac].

The most frequent of sleep disorders in children are repeated and prolonged wakeful periods. One month old infants are normally awake during one-third of the nocturnal sleeping time. Gradually, sleep moves into night and wakefulness into daytime. At 3 years, 25 to 38% of children wake up during the night, but after 5 years this proportion becomes negligible. Apart from acute or chronic diseases which may produce sleep disorders, most of these are due to environmental factors. Two syndrome are worthy of special mention: deficiency of slow wave and deep sleep in psychosocial dwarfism, and insomnia due to intolerance to cow's milk. Treatment of insomniac children rests on behavioural techniques: parents must be helped to understand and observe the sleep-wake rhythm of their children and teach them to acquire regular sleeping habits.