Sleep patterns and sleep disruptions in school-age children

This study assessed the sleep patterns, sleep disruptions, and sleepiness of school-age children. Sleep patterns of 140 children (72 boys and 68 girls; 2nd-, 4th-, and 6th-grade students) were evaluated with activity monitors (actigraphs). In addition, the children and their parents completed complementary sleep questionnaires and daily reports. The findings reflected significant age differences, indicating that older children have more delayed sleep onset times and increased reported daytime sleepiness. Girls were found to spend more time in sleep and to have an increased percentage of motionless sleep. Fragmented sleep was found in 18 % of the children. No age differences were found in any of the sleep quality measures. Scores on objective sleep measures were associated with subjective reports of sleepiness. Family stress, parental age, and parental education were related to the child's sleep-wake measures. The critical role of sleep and sleep disturbances in child devel-opment has been repeatedly demonstrated. The causal relation-ships between sleep problems and children's well-being appear to be bidirectional (Dahl, 1996b; Sadeh, 1996; Sadeh & Gruber, 1998). Just as sleep could be a symptom of child psychopathology or a significant stressor in a child's life, psychopathology could result from or be exacerbated by insufficient sleep and consequent fatigue and sleepiness. Sleep problems are among the prominent clinical symptoms and diagnostic criteria of several emotional disorders such as affective disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder