The Sleep Clinic at John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital diagnoses and treats a wide range of sleep disorders in infants to young adults.

Update: We offer telemedicine appointments with the Sleep Clinic, depending on each patient's condition and appointment needs. For appointment scheduling, please call 727-767-4458.

The John Hopkins All Children’s Sleep Clinic identifies problems contributing to sleep disorders in children. Sleep problems are present in more than 25 percent of children under the age of 18. These problems can affect a child’s development, school performance, behavior and overall health. Our clinic is dedicated to the care and long-term management of sleep problems. It is staffed by a board-certified sleep physician, nurse practitioner and registered sleep technologists (RPSGT) with additional certification in clinical sleep health (CCSH).

In our Sleep Clinic, specialists work together to assess each patient’s sleep issue to determine if a sleep study is necessary. Some patients will not need a sleep study. Patients suspected of having a sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea, are often referred to our Sleep Laboratory for an in-depth sleep study. Once we have information from the sleep study, patients have a follow-up visit in our Sleep Clinic to discuss a personalized treatment plan.

Initial Clinic Visit

During the first clinic visit, the patient and family will meet with the sleep physician where a thorough history and physical examination is performed. If available, all previous sleep evaluation records should be brought to the initial appointment for the care team to review. Our specialists will discuss a possible diagnosis, recommended testing and potential treatment options. Help prepare for the initial appointment by completing paperwork in advance.

Conditions We Treat

Our clinic treats a variety of sleep problems, including:

• Sleep-disordered breathing such as obstructive apnea, snoring and central sleep apnea
• Parasomnias such as sleep walking, sleep talking, sleep terrors and nightmares 
• Narcolepsy
• Insomnia
• Circadian rhythm disorders such as delayed sleep phase syndrome
• Movement disorders such as periodic limb movement disorder and head banging

Sleep Clinics and Programs

Our Sleep Clinic offers specialized clinics for patient care. We also provide patients and families with educational programs to help them feel comfortable at home. A physician referral is needed to be seen at our clinic. Our clinics and programs include:

General Sleep Clinic

Symptoms often treated in our General Sleep Clinic include:

• Difficulty sleeping
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Snoring
• Sleepwalking
• Sleep terrors
• Abnormal movements in sleep
• Abnormal feelings in their legs or feet prior to sleep

Hypersomnia Clinic

Our Hypersomnia Clinic treats patients diagnosed with:

• Narcolepsy
• Kleine-Levin syndrome
• Idiopathic hypersomnia

Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) Clinic

Our PAP Clinic cares for patients with obstructive or central sleep apnea who are prescribed a machine to help them breathe. During each visit, our care team will evaluate:

• Mask fit
• Equipment function
• Usage
• Effectiveness of machine

Patients attending these appointments should remember to bring all of their equipment (machine with power cord, tubing and mask with headgear).

Monthly group educational sessions help to introduce parents to positive airway pressure (PAP).

Ventilator Titration Clinic

The Sleep Center has a busy program for ensuring that technology dependent children are obtaining adequate gas exchange good quality during sleep. Our Sleep physicians are also Pediatric Pulmonologists that are trained to manage chronic ventilation. We meet with each family in clinic prior to the sleep study to develop a comprehensive plan for adjusting the ventilator during the sleep study. Our Sleep Laboratory is one of few Sleep Centers in the country to employ a fulltime Respiratory Therapist dually-trained as a Sleep Technologist to perform the overnight sleep studies. This permits immediate changes to ventilator settings and early recognition of irregular patient-ventilator patterns.

Mask Fitting and Desensitization Clinic

Our mask fitting and desensitization appointments offer patients and families education and support. During these visits, our care team will meet with the patient and family to:

• Discuss sleep apnea
• Review types of masks
• Introduce the child to the mask and machine

This appointment may last up to 60 minutes. We review desensitization techniques in detail to make sure we find the right fit.

Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulator Clinic (INSPIRE)

Partial or complete closure of the upper airway during sleep results in sleep disruption and intermittent drops in oxygenation, termed obstructive sleep apnea. The primary determinant of upper airway patency is muscle activity, including the genioglossus muscle. An implantable device is now available produced by Inspire Medical Systems to activate the genioglossus muscle by stimulation of the hypoglossal nerve. The Inspire device is inserted surgically below the clavicle and a lead is attached to the branch of the hypoglossal nerve that produces tongue protrusion.

Our Sleep Center has a designated clinic for children and young adults being evaluated for or treated with hypoglossal nerve stimulators (INSPIRE) including activation and adjustment. We partner with two surgeons with extensive experience implanting the INSPIRE device and regularly perform sleep study titrations of children with implants.

Sleep/Occupational Therapy Program

Some patients require additional desensitization. Our sleep/occupational therapy program provides intense practice and desensitization for children with:

• Significant anxiety
• Sensory difficulties
• Neurodevelopmental challenges

If the family and sleep physician believe the program will benefit the child, the sleep physician will refer the patient during the clinic visit.