Podcast: Healthy brain tips for kids, from sleep to headaches | Novant Health

It’s necessary for kids of all ages to get sufficient sleep at night time to assist their brains develop.

On this episode of Significant Drugs, Novant Well being UNC Youngsters’s pediatric neurologist Dr. Sonia Varghese gives an outline of brain-related matters, from how a lot sleep youngsters ought to get to when to be involved about complications.

Dr. Varghese additionally explains some little-known signs of seizures and shares the significance of what to do following a concussion.

Maggie McKay (Host): Significant Drugs is a Novant Well being Podcast bringing you entry to main docs who reply questions they need you’d ask. From routine care to uncommon situations, our physicians supply tricks to navigate medical choices and construct a more healthy future. At this time, we’re talking with. Dr. Sonia Varghese, a pediatric neurologist, about all issues mind.

Dr. Varghese, to begin, thanks a lot for making the time. I do know you might be busy and we admire you being right here.

Dr. Sonia Varghese: Positively. Thanks for having me at present.

Host: So, how crucial is sleep to mind operate? Let’s simply dive proper in.

Dr. Sonia Varghese: Effectively, that is a extremely good query. Sleep is definitely one of the vital necessary issues that our physique wants, particularly our mind. Within the pediatric inhabitants, sleep actually helps with making an attempt to have the mind develop and develop, actually even simply remembering the whole lot that our kiddos study in class that day. So, it is from high to backside, getting sleep is simply essential.

Host: So, sleep is essential to children, after all, for everyone, however particularly children as a result of they’re rising. For every of the most important phases, how usually ought to youngsters from toddlers to teenagers be sleeping every night time?

Dr. Sonia Varghese: Yeah. It is a nice matter to speak to with my teen sufferers. However ranging from when you might have a child, they do require extra sleep than the remainder of us. So, actually, underneath one, it form of ranges from 12 to 14 hours. Newborns clearly sleep extra. However underneath one, in all probability 12 to 14 hours. After which, as children grow old, so school-aged children or preschool-aged children, we keep round 12 hours of sleep.

After which, when our sufferers and our youngsters are in, as an example, elementary college, we are saying 10 to 12 hours of sleep. So, I feel round 10 hours for school-aged children, simply to form of preserve that in thoughts, that is quantity to attempt to comply with. Now, as our youngsters get a little bit bit older, center college to highschool, there’s a little little bit of adjustment. You may get possibly eight to 10. However decrease than that eight, you are actually going to have some sleepiness through the day and another sorts of cognitive slowing with not getting as a lot sleep. However yeah, so for college aged children, 10 to 12 is a superb objective to attempt to attain. After which, for our excessive schoolers, eight to 10. They do not actually like once I say that, so I say at the very least 9. But it surely’s robust, I do know.

Host: Yeah. I at all times keep in mind when our son obtained within the teen years and he slept so lengthy on days he might. And I needed to like test in. I am like, “Is he alive?” It was loopy, as a result of they go from not very a lot sleep to only sleeping, such as you mentioned, 14 hours. Are there indicators of potential sleep issues that oldsters must be watching out for?

Dr. Sonia Varghese: Yeah. Sleep issues can actually get missed simply. So, one factor to search for, I imply, you already know your child higher than anybody else. If they’re having any adjustments in habits, if they only appear extra drained than common, after which for those who’re noticing any form of drop in grades, there’s a number of issues that would contribute, however sleep is one huge factor that you just attempt to return and see if there’s something up to now couple days, previous couple weeks that possibly is messing up their sleep. So actually, simply taking note of any adjustments of their habits and faculty efficiency.

Host: So then, for those who discover that, how would these be identified after which handled?

Dr. Sonia Varghese: I’d initially discuss to the pediatrician. And our pediatricians are nice. They’ve coaching in a number of these points. And if it is one thing that the pediatrician has a priority about, they are going to check with Neurology. and so in Neurology, there are a few assessments that we are able to do. One, it is actually simply speaking to the affected person and the household, making an attempt to get extra of a historical past, asking what time to go to mattress, how they’re sleeping, household historical past of sleep points. Oh, and one other huge one. Do they snore? I really like asking that query. Youngsters are like, “No, however mother and pa snore,” or it is normally, “Dad snores.” However yeah, “So do they snore?” Issues like that. After which, relying on the solutions, there is a sleep research we are able to get. And that may inform us if there’s any points like sleep apnea, which I’d say it’s normal in a number of our sufferers that we see which have sleep considerations. So, we might diagnose sleep apnea with a sleep research.

Host: Let’s discuss seizures, Dr. Varghese. I do know individuals could have a dramatic image of their thoughts of what a seizure seems like, however some sorts of seizures are literally very refined, proper?

Dr. Sonia Varghese: That may be very true. So, seizures, what I inform my sufferers, seizures can appear to be something actually. They vary from staring spells, simply form of a behavioral arrest, the place you may simply see a child simply form of staring off and not likely transferring, and so they go proper again to what they have been doing earlier than.

I’ve some kiddos that oldsters have seen they will be in the course of consuming and so they’ll simply cease. After which, impulsively, they are going to decide proper again as much as what they have been consuming earlier than. So, it could possibly be identical to that. There could possibly be just a few like facial twitching or some rhythmic actions of 1 extremity. You might have your complete facet. So, there’s many various ways in which seizures can current.

Host: So, as an example a dad or mum seen that, and so they suspect a seizure. Is that an emergency? What ought to they do?

Dr. Sonia Varghese: If a dad or mum notices or perhaps a trainer, I at all times ask, you already know, have the lecturers seen something or have they seen the children form of staring off in school. So in the event that they do discover that, they need to deliver it as much as their pediatrician. After which, from that time, the pediatrician can do an examination, get some extra data, and check with Neurology if wanted.

I’d say, for a dad or mum to take a affected person to the emergency room, that may be for a kind of huge, like shaking seizures, or if it is a extended occasion the place they don’t seem to be responding to you and any indicators of troubled respiratory, that undoubtedly is an emergency. I’d go forward and name 911.

Host: Received it. Let’s pivot to complications, which I do know you see in your clinic. When do complications in youngsters or teenagers develop into sufficient of a difficulty that they actually would profit from an evaluation from a neurologist?

Dr. Sonia Varghese: Oh, complications. That is a subject we are able to talk about for hours and hours. However complications, the 2 commonest in youngsters are migraines and stress complications. A whole lot of children and a number of adults have complications, possibly often, however when your child is complaining of complications very incessantly, issues to search for: If they’ve any form of slowing in the way in which they discuss, if they’re having any hassle pondering or having hassle in class. And you will hear me point out college quite a bit as a result of that is the place we are able to form of quantify if issues are altering. So, any form of adjustments in how they’re doing of their college efficiency.

So, that helps us know this isn’t only a headache. It could possibly be one thing that should have additional workup. So, that is one huge signal. Another excuse to get worried– or not worried– however take your youngster to the pediatrician is that if they’re waking up in the course of the night time with the headache, or waking within the morning and having a extremely unhealthy headache, these are indicators that there is perhaps some elevated strain within the mind. So, you would wish to get a little bit bit extra of an analysis.

Host: Wow. I didn’t know that children obtained migraines. That is terrible. Lastly, concussions, that is at all times an necessary matter. Are you able to give a fast rundown on when dad and mom ought to search emergency take care of a head damage?

Dr. Sonia Varghese: Sure. I am from Texas and I really like soccer as most of my mates know, however face to face or helmet to helmet collisions are one of the vital frequent causes of concussions, however concussions can occur actually simply with a minor damage to the pinnacle. So, it is a little bit difficult as a result of concussions are literally invisible accidents. It is not like whenever you break your arm, you get an X-ray and also you see, “I’ve this damaged arm.” However with concussions, you might have that affect, you get the harm to your mind. And it is arduous to essentially know the extent of it.

So for fogeys, the most important factor is that if they notice– and their coaches must also be involved– as an example at a sport, they do have a collision and their child is wanting a little bit dizzy or off stability, a little bit bit confused, have them sit out, have them evaluated proper then. And at that time, for this reason I at all times attempt to inform my sufferers, you must take relaxation. That is the important thing, is to take relaxation from these contact sports activities. It could possibly get you out of faculty for longer than a day or two. However actually, giving your mind time to heal, that is the one means you’ll return onto the sector and attempt to carry out at your 100% capability.

I used to be in a position to discuss to the college nurses at a convention, I feel it was final week, and simply speaking about damage after having a current head damage, that is among the worst issues that you may actually do to your self is that if your mind does not have time to heal and also you return on the market and have one other damage, then you might be simply form of piling on the harm onto the tissue that hasn’t healed earlier than. So, that is actually the place you begin to see long-term results.

Host: That is so scary. You talked about helmet to helmet. Dad and mom want to make sure that their youngsters have a correct becoming helmet for actions like bicycling and skateboarding. As a result of I keep in mind I seen my son had outgrown his helmet. And I am like, this helmet does not match in any respect. I imply, at the very least he was carrying it, nevertheless it was means too small. And even the factor within the again that adjusts, it was, no. We needed to get a much bigger one. However skateboarding made me so nervous too. So, discuss helmets and oldsters and preserve an eye fixed out, proper?

Dr. Sonia Varghese: Sure. So, helmets are essential. I used to joke with my nephew, Hey, you are loopy round the home. You simply put on a helmet on a regular basis. And he truly would do it simply to be humorous. But it surely’s one of many issues that may attempt to shield your mind. So, the cranium itself is form of like a helmet, defending our mind, however you may fracture that cranium.

So, we would like our youngsters to be as lively as they are often, that is nice. Get in your bike, go skateboarding, however you must shield your cranium in addition to your mind. In case you have an damage and also you hit, as an illustration, concrete, your cranium can shield your mind, nevertheless it depends upon that affect. So when you might have that helmet to take that strain, that minimizes the chance of getting bleeding or extreme harm. They’re making fairly cool helmets these days, so…

Host: As we begin to wrap up, I’d like to know the way Pediatric Neurology grew to become a ardour of yours? What drew you to give attention to this specialty?

Dr. Sonia Varghese: My brother is definitely a toddler neurologist, however I didn’t copy him, I promise. My household’s from India and we used to go many of the summers. And my mother would take me to completely different church buildings and youngsters’s houses. And a number of the children that I met on the youngsters’s houses, they have been uncared for due to their incapacity.

And so, it was at all times one thing, as a child, I simply wished to search out treatment. Once I was little, I did not perceive. However that is form of how my ardour for serving to children which have any form of neurologic difficulty, I’d attempt to determine, okay, nicely, what brought on it? How can I assist? How can I make them really feel included and never uncared for in any means? You understand, their household might love them, nevertheless it’s arduous in the neighborhood for our sufferers which have a little bit little bit of a special look or capabilities. So, that is form of the place my ardour got here from. After which, I assume, my brother went into it first. And I used to be like, okay, nicely, I am going to do this too. I find it irresistible.

Host: Wow. I wager your dad and mom are so happy with each of you. I imply, clearly, these journeys made an impression. Did you ever inform your mother that that is what impressed you?

Dr. Sonia Varghese: I did. I did inform her. She nonetheless says I copied my brother.

Host: Effectively, she must be glad you probably did, as a result of that is superior. Is there the rest in closing that you just’d like so as to add?

Dr. Sonia Varghese: No, simply making an attempt to emphasise the significance of caring for your physique and getting that sleep and letting your self relaxation every time it’s worthwhile to. And for fogeys, simply ensuring that they take note of how their children are performing. And if there’s any adjustments which might be happening, simply to succeed in out to your pediatrician. And we’re at all times right here and out there for answering any questions.

Host: Effectively, thanks a lot for sharing your experience. This has been very useful and academic, and helpful particularly to folks. Thanks.

Dr. Sonia Varghese: Thanks a lot.

Host: Once more, that is Dr. Sonia Varghese. And if you would like to search out out extra, please go to nh.team/pediatrics. To discover a doctor, go to novanthealth.org. For extra well being and wellness data from our specialists, go to healthyheadlines.org. Thanks for listening.