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Sleepless in School
Many children are not getting enough sleep, and also not compensating
the loss when the weekend passes, causing all sorts of cognitive
problems and poorer life interaction according to a study by the Sleep
Disorders Center at Sacre-Coeur Hospital in Montreal.
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Lack of sleep among
school-goers leads to behavioral, cognitive problems
01 September 2007 - By Jim Arcuri - eurekalert.org
WESTCHESTER, Ill. – The first investigation of
developmental sleep duration patterns throughout childhood shows that
children just beginning school and who get little sleep are more
likely to have behavioral and cognitive problems in the classroom,
according to a study published in the September 1 issue of the journal
SLEEP.
The study, authored by Jacques Montplaisir, MD, of the Sleep Disorders
Center at Sacre-Coeur Hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, focused on
1,492 children, who were studied annually from five months of age to
six years. A questionnaire, filled out by the children’s mothers,
measured each child’s hyperactivity-impulsivity (HI), inattention and
daytime sleepiness scores for each of those years.
Four developmental sleep duration patterns were identified in the
study: short persistent (six percent), composed of children sleeping
less than 10 hours per night until the age of 6 years; short
increasing (4.8 percent), composed of children who slept fewer hours
in early childhood but whose sleep duration increased around 41 months
of age; 10-hour persistent (50.3 percent), composed of children who
slept persistently approximately 10 hours per night; and 11-hour
persistent (38.9 percent), composed of children who slept persistently
around 11 hours each night.
According to Dr. Montplaisir, the study found no difference in sleep
duration between weekdays and weekends, indicating that children were
not compensating on the weekend for sleep loss occurring during the
week, even in the group of short persistent sleepers. Short increasing
sleepers, who had evidence of a nocturnal sleep consolidation problem
before the age of 41 months, did not compensate their short nighttime
sleep duration by more daytime sleep at 29 months, added Dr.
Montplaisir.
The results indicate that a modest but chronic reduction of just one
hour of sleep nightly in early childhood can affect the child’s
cognitive performance at school entry. Short sleep duration multiplied
by 3.1 the risk of low performance on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary
Test–Revised. This suggests that language acquisition and the
consolidation of new words into memory could be significantly impeded
by chronically shortened sleep duration throughout childhood, said Dr.
Montplaisir. Low performance on the Block Design subtest was also
observed in the short increasing sleep group. This means that,
although sleep duration improved at three years of age, the risk of
scoring low on the Block Design subtest at six years of age remained
more than 2.4 times higher. This finding points to an early critical
period for cognitive development that may be jeopardized by short
sleep duration, noted Dr. Montplaisir.
The results also demonstrate a significant relationship between high
HI scores at six years of age and a short increasing sleep duration
pattern. Although sleep duration improved at three years of age, the
risk for high HI scores at six years of age remained 3.2 times higher.
There is a critical period in early childhood where the lack of sleep
is particularly detrimental on various aspects of development even if
the sleep duration normalizes later on, warned Dr. Montplaisir.
“The results of this paper highlight the importance of giving a child
the opportunity to sleep at least 10 hours a night throughout
childhood, especially before the age of three-and-a-half years, to
ensure optimal cognitive performance at school entry,” said Dr.
Montplaisir.
It is recommended that children in pre-school sleep between 11-13
hours a night, and school-aged children between 10-11 hours of sleep a
night.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) advises children to
follow these steps to get a good night’s sleep:
- Follow a consistent bedtime routine.
- Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime.
- Get a full night’s sleep every night.
- Avoid foods or drinks that contain caffeine, as well as any medicine
that has a stimulant, prior to bedtime.
- Do not go to bed hungry, but don’t eat a big meal before bedtime
either.
- The bedroom should be quiet, dark and a little bit cool.
- Get up at the same time every morning.
Parents who suspect that their child might be suffering from a sleep
disorder are encouraged to consult with their child’s pediatrician or
a sleep specialist.
###
SLEEP is the official journal of the Associated Professional Sleep
Societies, LLC, a joint venture of the AASM and the Sleep Research
Society.
SleepEducation.com, a Web site maintained by the AASM, provides
information about various sleep disorders, the forms of treatment
available, recent news on the topic of sleep, sleep studies that have
been conducted and a listing of sleep facilities.
For a copy of this article, entitled, “Associations Between Sleep
Duration Patterns and Behavioral/Cognitive Functioning at School
Entry”, or to arrange an interview with an AASM spokesperson regarding
this study, please contact Jim Arcuri, public relations coordinator,
at (708)492-0930, ext. 9317, or jarcuri@aasmnet.org. |
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