More children are given sleeping medication: Healthy and fit children should follow these three rules instead, says the expert.

More children are using sleep medication: Experts advise three things instead if you're healthy

Children and adolescents under 18 years old are increasingly using sleep medication before bedtime.

If one is healthy and fit, there are other buttons to press instead of sleep medication, explains the expert. 58 minutes ago

More children and adolescents are using sleep medication when they need to fall asleep.

The latest figures from the Danish Health Data Authority show that the number of sleep medication users under 18 years old has increased by 14 percent from 2022 to 2023. A total of 21,827 children and adolescents now use sleep medication.

The vast majority of these children and adolescents use melatonin, which is a hormone that is also naturally produced in the brain and affects the body's circadian rhythm and sleep.

In fact, melatonin accounts for 100 percent of the nearly 22,000 children and adolescents.

According to Poul Jørgen Jennum, who is a professor and doctor at the Danish Sleep Disorders Center, there is no reason to interpret the increase as a sign that more children have sleep disorders.

- We have seen an increase in the use of sleep aids for children and adolescents for several years, but it is likely not because more young people have sleep disorders than before. There is increasing awareness of sleep problems among children and adolescents and greater pressure on pediatricians to prescribe and recommend sleep medication, says Poul Jørgen Jennum.

Since melatonin is on the rise, which is a substance that is naturally produced in the brain, it may have a kind of "special status," according to Poul Jørgen Jennum.

However, several studies report more sleep problems among children and adolescents than before. But there is no reason to resort to melatonin or other sleep medication if one is healthy.

- It is not a good treatment in itself to give sleep medication for sleep problems. If a child has underlying conditions such as mental illness, the situation may be different, but if the child is otherwise healthy, I recommend changing their lifestyle instead, says Poul Jørgen Jennum.

According to the figures for the past year, 5,667 of the 21,827 children and adolescents have no diagnosis. The rest have diagnoses such as behavioral and emotional disorders, epilepsy, and developmental disorders.

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Three good tips from the expert

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And how can it be that one gets a child's lifestyle adjusted so that it can sleep without the help of sleep medication?

Yes, according to Poul Jørgen Jennum, there are three good tips to follow:

- Make sure the child gets regular sleep: That is, that the child or adolescent goes to bed and gets up at roughly the same time.

- Avoid screen use for up to two hours before bedtime.

- Ensure a healthy, balanced diet. Eat green and healthy foods, and get red cheeks and sweat on the forehead, says Poul Jørgen Jennum.

While the number of children and adolescents using melatonin for sleep is increasing, fewer actually use benzodiazepine-like medications and Promethazine. The increase in melatonin users, however, brings the total number of sleep medication users to a high level.

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