's Morgens moeilijk wakker worden bij tieners: gedragsprobleem, misperceptie of slaapstoornis?

- Three teenagers, two girls aged 14 years and one boy aged 10 years, had had difficulty with getting to sleep in the evening and waking up in the morning from a very early age. These difficulties led to underperformance at school and/or tension in the household. The anamneses and a sleep study led to the following conclusions: ‘delayed sleep phase syndrome’, ‘sleep state misperception’ and ‘aberrant interaction between the child and its parents’. Treatment with phototherapy and regulation of the bedtimes, information and regulation of the bedtimes, and pedagogic advice, respectively, was successful within a few months. Teenagers often complain about problems with sleeping, in particular about late onset of sleep and difficulties with awakening. These problems are self-limiting in most cases, but can have a disastrous influence on social life and education.