Sleep for children is without a doubt very important. However, there are times that those two don't mesh well together. There are cases when children with insomnia suffer sleepless nights and have their performance in school also suffer. This disorder always has its way. And when one refuses to yield to the other, there are times that insomnia wins over the child.

Parents should remember that children who fall in the range of 6-12 years old need around 10 to 11 hours of sleep each night and teenagers need just about 9 hours. If you know that you have realistic bedtime schedules and still your child is still unable to sleep adequately, you may want to consider that your child is suffering from insomnia.

Some of the different reasons why your child could be suffering from insomnia are caffeine, stress, "obstructive sleep apnea" or snoring, asthma, eczema, depression, anxiety, poor sleep habits, depression, or maybe even other side effects which use to treat ADHD. Some of the different drugs that are used for children's behaviors are corticosteroids, anticonvulsants, antidepressants and the like. However, there are other factors that may contribute to children having insomnia such as unique neurodevelopmental disorders such as mental retardation, autism or Asperger's syndrome.

There are several treatments for childhood insomnia and they would typically turn to prescriptions in order to address these types of situations. However, more than anything, it is important to look into much more underlying medical or psychological problems that may need attention first.

One of the best classic examples is when your child is snoring loudly or has obstructive sleep apnea. If he is like this or frequently stops breathing, he or she might have to have his or her tonsils or adenoids removed just to rectify the situation. If your child has frequent nighttime cough because his asthma is poorly controlled, your child might need to have a different or stronger preventive asthma medication. If this particular disorder is not addressed immediately, then  you might need to look into different medications.

There are different sleeping pills that are marketed commercially which have not been approved for use by children. Some of these examples are Lunesta and Ambien CR. However, there are other medications which will be able to help children when it is necessitated. Some of these are melatonin, clonidine, most especially if your child has ADHD behavior problems, risperdal if your child has autism disorder, antihistamine if your child has asthma or allergies although these result in daytime drowsiness

The important thing is never to assume that an off-the-counter prescription will immediately be the logical solution and most importantly, you should be able to look into the deeper reasoning behind the sleeping disorder of your child. If you are able to eliminate all other possible reasons, you will be one step closer to finding the solution to your child's insomnia. The rule of thumb is to simply have it checked by a professional and ask if your child might need a stronger medication or if you need to look into a different condition altogether.