Children tend to vary widely in their sleep habits, with some being
naturally "short sleepers" and others needing more time in bed, a
study suggests.
Swiss researchers found that among 305 children they followed
from ages?one to 10, there was significant variability in how
much sleep they typically got each night. However, most children --
90 percent -- remained fairly steady in their sleep habits
throughout childhood.
That is, children who were "short sleepers" or "long sleepers"
as toddlers tended to be so later in childhood as well.
This suggests that biological makeup plays a large role in the
amount of sleep any one child needs, the study authors report in
the journal Pediatrics.
"We conclude from these findings that there is no optimal amount
of sleep for the entire population of children," lead study author
Dr. Oskar G. Jenni told Reuters Health.
Instead, "there is a wide range of 'normal' sleep duration among
children," added Jenni, the director of the Child Development
Center at University Children's Hospital Zurich.
Individual children in the study did show short-term
fluctuations in the amount of the time they slept each night,
according to parents' reports. And the average amount of sleep time
naturally declined over the long term -- from more than 14 hours
per day at age?one to 10 hours at age 10.
However, over the 10 years, most children were stable in their
sleep habits. Those who tended to sleep less than their peers in
early childhood also did so at an older age, Jenni said; the same
was true of long sleepers.
"We need to recognize that some children sleep less than others
and vice versa," Jenni explained. Some parents, he noted, have a
"set" bedtime for all of their children, but they should realize
that each child may actually have different sleep needs.
Putting a naturally short sleeper to bed early in the evening
could create sleep problems, including difficulty falling asleep
and staying asleep all night, Jenni pointed out.
It's important to distinguish children who are naturally short
sleepers from those who are getting too little sleep, according to
the researchers. Children who wake up in the morning without
difficulty and show no signs of daytime sleepiness are probably
getting enough shut-eye.
On the other hand, children who are groggy during the day or
have behavioral problems and trouble with schoolwork may be
sleep-deprived.
(Agencie via China Daily October 26, 2007)
