As SMA-affected families know all too well, SMA can harshly diminish both the caregiver’s and the patient’s ability to achieve quality rest. However, in the midst of the numerous other medical challenges that SMA often presents, the treatment of reduced sleep quality has had the potential to be an overlooked topic. At our recent Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., our panel of medical experts offered recommendations and support for caregivers who wish to improve their own or their loved one’s overall sleep health.

Pediatric Orthopedist Dr. Craig P. Eberson of Hasbro Children’s Hospital discusses the sleep issues associated with the SMA-affected and their caregivers, and shares his ideas for improving an individual’s physical comfort at bedtime:

Dr. Nanci Yuan, a Pediatric Pulmonologist and Board-Certified Sleep Medicine Physician at the Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, notes that the current lack of education about SMA-related sleeping issues naturally inhibits diagnosis and treatment for these problems. Here, she offers her insight on respiratory problems in relation to sleep, and also addresses the severe role that poor sleep quality plays in the health of the SMA-affected and their caregivers:

Dr. Carolina Tesi-Rocha, a Pediatric Neurologist at Children’s National Medical Center, and Dr. Sandra Reyna, Co-Director of the Pediatric Motor Disorders Research Program at the University of Utah, discuss the multi-faceted reasons that the SMA-affected are likely to experience sleeping difficulties. They offer several recommendations for caregivers who may be struggling with sleep disorders of their own:

If you have questions or concerns about the information provided here, please contact FightSMA.

(Special thanks to Rich Bailey and Metro Video Productions.)