Credit: Maurajbo/Wikipedia.
Children obtain better and more age-appropriate sleep in the presence of household rules and regular sleep-wake routines, according to sleep researchers.
The researchers found that well-established rules for getting good sleep, such as limited caffeine and a regular bedtime, led to sufficient sleep quantity and adequate sleep quality. In contrast, when parents and children had electronic devices on in the bedroom after bedtime, sleep deficiency was more likely.
Reducing the encroachment of technology and media into sleep time and supporting well-known sleep hygiene principles should be a focus of public health intervention goals for sleep health, the researchers said.
Orfeu Buxton, now an associate professor or biobehavioral health at Penn State, led a team conducting the 2014 National Sleep Foundation Sleep in America Poll, "Sleep in the Modern Family," whose overall objective was to obtain a current picture of sleep in families with at least one school-aged child. The results are published today (Jan. 26) in Sleep Health.
The researchers evaluated U.S. households with children aged 6 to 17 years old through Internet-based interviews. A total of 1,103 parents or guardians of an average age of 42 completed surveys. Fifty-four percent were female.
"We were interested in parental perception of the importance of sleep duration and sleep quality, habits, and routines of the families and children, and obstacles preventing adequate sleep," Buxton said.
According to researchers, although the majority of parents endorsed the importance of sleep, 90 percent of children did not sleep the full amount of time recommended for their age group.
Some of the primary consequences of poor sleep among children and adolescents are behavioral problems, impaired learning and school performance, sports injuries, problems with mood and emotional regulation, and a worsening of health-related issues including obesity.
Evidence also indicates that in adolescence, lack of sleep may be related to high-risk behaviors such as substance abuse, suicidal behaviors and drowsy driving.
Significant predictors of age-adjusted sufficient sleep duration—estimated conservatively as at least nine hours for ages 6 through 11 years and at least eight hours for ages 12 to 17 years—included parent education, regular enforcement of rules about caffeine and whether children left technology on in their bedroom overnight.
"We have previously demonstrated the negative effect that use of light-emitting technology before bedtime can have on sleep, and now in this study we see how parental rules and routines regarding technology can influence the quantity and quality of their children's sleep," said Anne-Marie Chang, assistant professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State and co-author of the study. Chang and colleagues recently showed that reading on an iPad before bedtime, compared to reading a print book, can impair sleep, delay circadian timing, and degrade alertness the following morning.
"An important consequence of our modern-day, 24/7 society is that it is difficult for families—children and caregivers both—to get adequate sleep," Buxton said. "Sleep in the family context frames sleep as involving interactions between all members of a household and interactions with the environment of the home as well as exogenous factors like work or school affecting any member."
Several potential reasons for poor sleep include the use of technology in the bedroom, complicated and busy daily schedules with competing work, school, social, and recreational activities as well as neighborhood noise from vehicular traffic, commercial or industrial activity and neighbors.
Within the family dynamic, a consistent bedtime routine improves sleep, whereas television use in the bedroom generally is associated with curtailed sleep.
"Good quality and sufficient sleep are vital for children," Buxton said. "Just like a healthy diet and exercise, sleep is critical for children to stay healthy, grow, learn, do well in school, and function at their best."
Explore further: Flexible work schedules improve health, sleep
Medical Xpress on facebook
Related Stories
Flexible work schedules improve health, sleep
12 hours ago
Giving employees more control over their work schedules may help curb sleep deficiency, according to health researchers.
Movements help measure child sleep problems
Dec 03, 2014
New research from the University of Adelaide has helped to shed light on the complexities of child sleep, and could lead to improved diagnosis of children with sleep-related breathing problems.
How quality of sleep impacts academic performance in children
Jan 08, 2015
Making sure school-aged kids get to sleep at a regular hour is often a struggle for parents. But a study by researchers at McGill University and the Douglas Mental Health University Institute in Montreal ...
Importance of adequate sleep
Nov 25, 2014
Catching the appropriate number of z's each night is important.
'Small screens' prevent kids from sleeping, study says
Jan 05, 2015
Children who have access to tablets or smartphones in their bedrooms get less sleep than children who do not have the devices with them at night, a US study said Monday.
Recommended for you
Even with copayments for nonurgent care, Medicaid patients still rely on ERs
1 hour ago
How can states and federal government provide adequate health care to poor people, without overburdening taxpayers or leaving health care providers with billions in unpaid bills? That thorny problem is especially challenging ...
Poor psychosocial work environments may contribute to heart problems
2 hours ago
A psychosocially poor work environment means that employees experience highly demanding requirements but have little ability to control their work or not feel sufficiently appreciated for the contributions they make.
Ethnic minorities and deprived communities hardest hit by air pollution
2 hours ago
Air pollution levels are linked to many forms of ill health, including higher risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, especially for more vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly.
Naughty food photos attract more attention
2 hours ago
Researchers have discovered a quirk in how we pay attention to food.
Screening people for diseases doesn't necessarily save lives, study shows
5 hours ago
It seems like it should work: If everyone were tested for every disease, lives would be saved, right? These conditions would be spotted quickly, treated, and voilà: The deadly illness would be vanquished.
Study finds lead negatively impacts cognitive functions of boys more than girls
5 hours ago
A study recently published in the Journal of Environmental Health provides evidence the female hormones estrogen and estradiol may help ward off the effects of lead exposure for young girls, explaining why boys, in greate ...
User comments
Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more
Click here to reset your password.
Sign in to get notified via email when new comments are made.
© Medical Xpress 2011-2014, Science X network
Credit: Maurajbo/Wikipedia.
Children obtain better and more age-appropriate sleep in the presence of household rules and regular sleep-wake routines, according to sleep researchers.
The researchers found that well-established rules for getting good sleep, such as limited caffeine and a regular bedtime, led to sufficient sleep quantity and adequate sleep quality. In contrast, when parents and children had electronic devices on in the bedroom after bedtime, sleep deficiency was more likely.
Reducing the encroachment of technology and media into sleep time and supporting well-known sleep hygiene principles should be a focus of public health intervention goals for sleep health, the researchers said.
Orfeu Buxton, now an associate professor or biobehavioral health at Penn State, led a team conducting the 2014 National Sleep Foundation Sleep in America Poll, "Sleep in the Modern Family," whose overall objective was to obtain a current picture of sleep in families with at least one school-aged child. The results are published today (Jan. 26) in Sleep Health.
The researchers evaluated U.S. households with children aged 6 to 17 years old through Internet-based interviews. A total of 1,103 parents or guardians of an average age of 42 completed surveys. Fifty-four percent were female.
"We were interested in parental perception of the importance of sleep duration and sleep quality, habits, and routines of the families and children, and obstacles preventing adequate sleep," Buxton said.
According to researchers, although the majority of parents endorsed the importance of sleep, 90 percent of children did not sleep the full amount of time recommended for their age group.
Some of the primary consequences of poor sleep among children and adolescents are behavioral problems, impaired learning and school performance, sports injuries, problems with mood and emotional regulation, and a worsening of health-related issues including obesity.
Evidence also indicates that in adolescence, lack of sleep may be related to high-risk behaviors such as substance abuse, suicidal behaviors and drowsy driving.
Significant predictors of age-adjusted sufficient sleep duration—estimated conservatively as at least nine hours for ages 6 through 11 years and at least eight hours for ages 12 to 17 years—included parent education, regular enforcement of rules about caffeine and whether children left technology on in their bedroom overnight.
"We have previously demonstrated the negative effect that use of light-emitting technology before bedtime can have on sleep, and now in this study we see how parental rules and routines regarding technology can influence the quantity and quality of their children's sleep," said Anne-Marie Chang, assistant professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State and co-author of the study. Chang and colleagues recently showed that reading on an iPad before bedtime, compared to reading a print book, can impair sleep, delay circadian timing, and degrade alertness the following morning.
"An important consequence of our modern-day, 24/7 society is that it is difficult for families—children and caregivers both—to get adequate sleep," Buxton said. "Sleep in the family context frames sleep as involving interactions between all members of a household and interactions with the environment of the home as well as exogenous factors like work or school affecting any member."
Several potential reasons for poor sleep include the use of technology in the bedroom, complicated and busy daily schedules with competing work, school, social, and recreational activities as well as neighborhood noise from vehicular traffic, commercial or industrial activity and neighbors.
Within the family dynamic, a consistent bedtime routine improves sleep, whereas television use in the bedroom generally is associated with curtailed sleep.
"Good quality and sufficient sleep are vital for children," Buxton said. "Just like a healthy diet and exercise, sleep is critical for children to stay healthy, grow, learn, do well in school, and function at their best."
Explore further: Flexible work schedules improve health, sleep
Medical Xpress on facebook
Related Stories
Flexible work schedules improve health, sleep
12 hours ago
Giving employees more control over their work schedules may help curb sleep deficiency, according to health researchers.
Movements help measure child sleep problems
Dec 03, 2014
New research from the University of Adelaide has helped to shed light on the complexities of child sleep, and could lead to improved diagnosis of children with sleep-related breathing problems.
How quality of sleep impacts academic performance in children
Jan 08, 2015
Making sure school-aged kids get to sleep at a regular hour is often a struggle for parents. But a study by researchers at McGill University and the Douglas Mental Health University Institute in Montreal ...
Importance of adequate sleep
Nov 25, 2014
Catching the appropriate number of z's each night is important.
'Small screens' prevent kids from sleeping, study says
Jan 05, 2015
Children who have access to tablets or smartphones in their bedrooms get less sleep than children who do not have the devices with them at night, a US study said Monday.
Recommended for you
Even with copayments for nonurgent care, Medicaid patients still rely on ERs
1 hour ago
How can states and federal government provide adequate health care to poor people, without overburdening taxpayers or leaving health care providers with billions in unpaid bills? That thorny problem is especially challenging ...
Poor psychosocial work environments may contribute to heart problems
2 hours ago
A psychosocially poor work environment means that employees experience highly demanding requirements but have little ability to control their work or not feel sufficiently appreciated for the contributions they make.
Ethnic minorities and deprived communities hardest hit by air pollution
2 hours ago
Air pollution levels are linked to many forms of ill health, including higher risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, especially for more vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly.
Naughty food photos attract more attention
2 hours ago
Researchers have discovered a quirk in how we pay attention to food.
Screening people for diseases doesn't necessarily save lives, study shows
5 hours ago
It seems like it should work: If everyone were tested for every disease, lives would be saved, right? These conditions would be spotted quickly, treated, and voilà: The deadly illness would be vanquished.
Study finds lead negatively impacts cognitive functions of boys more than girls
5 hours ago
A study recently published in the Journal of Environmental Health provides evidence the female hormones estrogen and estradiol may help ward off the effects of lead exposure for young girls, explaining why boys, in greate ...
User comments
Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more
Click here
to reset your password.
Sign in to get notified via email when new comments are made.
© Medical Xpress 2011-2014, Science X network
0 comments:
Post a Comment