Children’s Sleep Problems — Online CBT Treatment for UK Families

Sleep difficulties in children and adolescents are extremely common — and almost always treatable. Studies suggest that 20–30% of children, from infancy through to school age, experience meaningful sleep problems. Without help, these tend to be chronic. With the right treatment, the great majority resolve within a few weeks.

Common difficulties at younger ages include trouble falling asleep, frequent night waking, dependence on parental presence, and bedtime resistance. As children grow older, the problems begin to look more like adult sleep difficulties — insomnia, anxiety-driven sleep onset problems, mood-related sleep disturbance, and circadian-rhythm shifts in adolescence.

Why proper assessment and treatment matter

Sleep is essential for healthy development in childhood. Persistent sleep problems have been linked in research to:

• Reduced daytime functioning and attention difficulties
• Emotional and depressive difficulties
• Sleepiness and attention problems
• Reduced cognitive development and academic performance
• Higher risk of injury
• Strain on family functioning
• Childhood obesity

General principles for healthy sleep

• Consistent bedtime and wake-up time, including at weekends within reason
• A calm, predictable evening routine
• A comfortable sleep environment — quiet, dark, cool
• Clear and consistent boundaries around sleep
• Daytime physical activity
• Daylight exposure in the morning and afternoon
• Avoidance of caffeine
• Smooth transitions from active play to sleep

Sleep problems we treat — pages on each topic

Each problem has its own dedicated page with the clinical detail, the evidence base, and the treatment approach we use. Click through to the topic that matches your concern.

• Childhood & teenage insomnia — persistent difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking unrested
• Bedtime resistance & limit-setting insomnia — children who resist bedtime, leave their bed, or only fall asleep with a parent
• Infant & toddler sleep problems — frequent night waking, dependence on rocking or feeding, difficulty falling asleep alone
• Children’s nighttime fears — fear of the dark, monsters, intruders, being alone (one of my main areas of research)
• Nightmares in children — recurrent distressing dreams in REM sleep
• Night terrors & confusional arousals — sudden episodes of screaming and confusion in the first half of the night
• Sleep and anxiety in children — sleep difficulties driven by, or fuelling, childhood anxiety
• Delayed sleep phase in teenagers — adolescents who cannot fall asleep before 1, 2 or 3 a.m.
• Sleep problems in children with ADHD — assessing and treating the sleep difficulties that come with ADHD
• CBT for children’s sleep problems — the evidence-based treatment approach used across all of the above

How treatment works at the clinic

1. Free initial questionnaire covering sleep, behaviour and any anxiety — anonymous, takes about 5 minutes.
2. Comprehensive online assessment (60 minutes) with one or both parents, and where appropriate the child.
3. Tailored treatment plan using evidence-based CBT methods, with online sessions at the right cadence for your situation.
4. Most childhood sleep problems improve significantly within 4–8 weeks of beginning treatment, with full resolution typically by 12 weeks.

What we do not treat

We do not treat suspected obstructive sleep apnoea, restless legs syndrome, or other primarily medical sleep disorders. These need investigation by a paediatric sleep physician — we will point you to the right NHS or private service.