What are effective and safe pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for managing insomnia and sleep fragmentation in children with cerebral palsy?

Children with cerebral palsy often cannot sleep through the night, and no one has yet pulled together all the evidence to show which treatments actually work safely. This systematic review tackles a gap that affects thousands of families. Sleep disturbances like insomnia and fragmented sleep are common in children with cerebral palsy, yet clinicians lack clear guidance on what to prescribe or recommend. The review will comb through randomised controlled trials covering children aged 0–18, assessing both drug-based and non-drug interventions—everything from melatonin to behavioural routines. The team will use network meta-analysis to compare treatments head-to-head, and they will separately review health economic data to see which options offer value for the NHS. If successful, the findings will give paediatricians, GPs, and sleep clinics a reliable, evidence-based playbook. That could mean fewer children cycling through ineffective or risky medications, better sleep for the child, and fewer exhausted parents. It could also reduce unnecessary NHS spending on treatments that do not work. The review is not fundamental science—it is a practical synthesis designed to change clinical practice and policy directly.