What is the impact of sleep deprivation on children’s health? This is the question asked by researchers at the University of Otago (New Zealand). To answer this, they carried out a study published in the journal JAMA Network Open. Their goal ? To determine the effect of mild sleep deprivation on the quality of life of children without major sleep disorders.
Sleep: 100 children had to sleep less then longer
For the purposes of the work, the team recruited 100 children, aged 8 to 12, in good health. The latter were subjected to alternating weeks of sleep restriction and sleep extension, with a one-week break in between. For sleep deprivation, bedtime was delayed by one hour and for sleep prolongation, it was advanced by one hour from the usual schedule. As for the wake-up times, they have not changed. “The timing and duration of sleep were assessed using actigraphy over seven nights. Children and parents assessed the young participants’ sleep disturbances (nighttime) and impairments (daytime)”, the authors said.
Thirty minutes less rest reduces well-being
During the sleep restriction week, the children fell asleep 64 minutes later and woke up 18 minutes later, which is 39 minutes less sleep per night. According to the scientists, when restricting sleep, parents and children reported significantly less sleep disturbances at night, with a reduction in the number of awakenings and awakenings following falling asleep and a slight improvement in sleep. sleep efficiency.
However, children who slept 39 minutes less had lower scores for physical well-being and the ability to adapt well to the school environment, which translates into lower quality of life scores when they are tired. “These findings underscore that ensuring children get enough, good quality sleep is an important issue for their health,” concluded the authors.
