Study links children's sleep duration to behavioural disorders

Mar 18, 2020

New Delhi, Mar 18 (ANI): Children who get the fewest hours of sleep are at the highest risk of developing mental health issues later, including ADHD, anxiety and depression, suggest a new study. In a study conducted at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, of almost 800 children, it is found that both girls and boys who get less sleep are at greater risk for future emotional problems. For the study, children's sleep was measured with motion sensors every night for a week. The researchers conducted clinical interviews to measure mental health difficulties. These procedures were repeated several times every two years. Children who were getting too little sleep when they were 6 years old did not necessarily suffer from a lack of sleep when they got older, with most of them meeting the recommended sleep duration. But if insufficient sleep started later, at age 10 for example, the habit tended to persist. Fewer of these children outgrew their insufficient sleep pattern as they got older. More children had single nights with too little sleep compared to how many on average (over a week) slept too little. Those who had individual nights with fewer sleep hours continued this pattern as they aged, suggesting that such a sleep pattern often did not change. The study findings suggest that parents don't need to worry unnecessarily. Some adjustments to sleep routines may be advisable if your child is affected by lack of sleep.