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Children with symptoms of insomnia are likely to have the same sleep problems as adults. New research led by scientists from the
University of Pennsylvania (USA) is the first to describe long-term developmental trajectories of childhood insomnia symptoms through adolescence and adulthood.
Youth is a stage of life when there is an increase in the severity and prevalence of physical and mental health problems, such as cardiovascular disease and suicide rates. Explain Julio Fernandez-Mendozaauthor of the research, “sleep disorders, especially sleep apnea and insomnia, are related to poorer cardiovascular and mental health.
Because up to 25% of children, 35% of adolescents, and 45% of young adults experience symptoms of insomnia, we were interested in how these symptoms evolve over time.”
The study began in 2000 and looked at a population of children ages 5 to 12. Children and their parents provided reports of insomnia symptoms, defined as moderate to severe difficulties initiating and/or maintaining sleep.
The children also participated in an objective laboratory sleep study using polysomnography, which can identify sleep apnea and other indicators such as the quantity and quality of sleep.
In total, 502 children aged 7.4 years on average were studied and followed through adolescence, 16 years, and 15 years later as adults, 24 years on average.
Results showed that 43% of children with insomnia symptoms continued to experience sleep problems throughout adolescence and into adulthood.
Among children without insomnia symptoms, regarding 15% developed insomnia symptoms in the transition to adolescence and persisted with them into adulthood.
“The key finding of this study is that symptoms of insomnia in childhood are much more likely to persist over time than we previously believed,” says Fernández-Mendoza.
Therefore, parents and health professionals should not assume that insomnia symptoms are “benign complaints that will go away with age.”
Fernández-Mendoza adds that, on the other hand, many adults who have insomnia may have had trouble sleeping as children.
«Although sleep problems in adults tend to be triggered by stressors in their most recent lifeFor some people, their insomnia can be traced back to sleep problems that began in childhood.”
Although the team did not investigate the underlying causes of children’s sleep problems, Fernandez-Mendoza lists that the main causes are often “behavioral,” such as when a child does not want to go to sleep or needs a parent to be in bed. room to fall asleep or resume sleep; psychiatric and behavioral disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, or mood disorders; and medical conditions, such as headaches or gastrointestinal problems.
However, she emphasizes that gender, race, and socioeconomic factors must always be taken into account.
Fernández-Mendoza adds that these findings suggest that childhood insomnia symptoms require early intervention, while adolescence is a critical time to address chronic sleep problems. Interventions may include behavioral therapy for childhood behavioral insomnia and appropriate treatments for medical or psychiatric conditions.
The study has been published in the journal «
Pediatrics».
