Traditional Treatment of Childhood Sleep Disorders

The aim of this study was to investigate traditional treatment procedures for childhood sleep disorders. Six mothers from the Thulamela Municipality in Limpopo Province, South Africa were selected to participate in the study using purposive sampling. Qualitative data was collected in Tshivenda through in-depth interviews, and the interviews were recorder with an audio tape recorder. Data was later translated into English after verbatim transcription. It was analysed using thematic content analysis. Different themes emerged from analysis which included types of childhood sleep disorders, symptoms, causes, treatment, and prevention. The paper concludes by indicating that indigenous knowledge plays an important role in treating childhood sleep disorders.