Study: parental sleep and reported children's sleep quality
Study: parental sleep and reported children's sleep quality
This paper is part of the special pediatric edition of September 2016. Read the entire edition or Down .
reference
Rönnlund H, Elovainio M, Virtanen I, Matomäki J, Lapinleimu H. bad parental sleep and the reported sleep quality of her children. Pädiatrie . 2016; 137 (4); E20153425.
Design
a cross-sectional observation study
objective
evaluation of the connection between the sleep quality of the parents and the reported sleep quality of their children
participant
In this study, parents and their biological children aged 2 to 6 years were recruited from 16 daycare centers in Finland. A total of 108 children were recorded and evaluated between January 2014 and February 2015. The average age of the children was 4 years and gender distribution was even. The sample mainly included Caucasian, highly educated families.target parameter
The parents filled questionnaires for socio -economic status, their own well -being and well -being and diseases of their child.
The child was provided with an actigraphy bracelet that should wear it on its non-dominant hand for a period of 7 days. The parents were instructed to press the event button on the bracelet when the child went to sleep and when they woke up. While the actigraph does not distinguish between sleep stages, he estimates the sleep times based on a threshold for lack of exercise. In view of the restless sleep of children, studies indicate that the actigraph has a good sensitivity (the ability to recognize sleep), but has a poorer specificity (the ability to recognize waxing) in pediatric populations.
In terms of their own health, the parents filled both the Jenkins sleeping scale and a 12-point questionnaire for general health to assess the sleep quality of parents as well as psychiatric symptoms of parents, including anxiety and depression.
The parents led a sleeping diary for the time when the child wore the actigraphy bracelet that contained the details about when and why the working bracelet was removed during this time.
In addition to the sleeping diaries, the parents also filled out the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC), which, in addition to the total score, evaluates 6 different sleep domains: faults when sleeping and sleeping; Breathing disorders in sleep; Excitation disorders; Sleep wach transition disorders; Disruptions of excessive sleepiness; and sleep hyperhidrosis.
important knowledge
The authors found that parents who reported that they had sleep disorders themselves experienced their children as stronger sleep disorders. In addition, they found that this association was not supported by the objective measure of the study, the actigraph, which indicates that the child's sleep may not be as bad as the parents perceived it. The perception of sleep disorders in children was not explained by age, gender, the number of siblings, chronic diseases or medication of the child, nor was it in connection with psychiatric symptoms of parents, education, socio -economic status, marital status or season.
Comment
Many factors influence the sleep of children, including the social and cultural environment, the knowledge of the parents and the child's previous illnesses. Poor sleep and sleep disorders can have a negative impact on the fear level, the mood, behavior, the physical development and weight of a child as well as the school skills. Sleep screenings and interventions may not be carried out as often and as effectively as you would hope for.
Large epidemiological studies show that about 30 % of children suffer from sleep problems. 4 Despite this prevalence, the screening and treatment rates of these concerns are low. Both general practitioners and parents often have gaps in knowledge on the subject of sleep in the pediatric population.
children are dependent on their parents to understand their sleeping needs to promote a healthy sleep regime that is appropriate for development. Parents, in turn, rely on the fact that their health service providers routinely inquire about the sleeping habits of a child, recognize problems and provide information on this topic. The elucidation of the parents is often the first line of intervention, and clinicists are increasingly recognizing that the knowledge of the parents influences children's sleep behavior. However, primary suppliers only receive minimal training on the subject of sleep. This can cause opportunities for discussions to be missed during visits, unless the parents report questions or ask questions about sleep. 3
Studies indicate that sleep disorders appear more often in single -parent families and/or in families with low parenting. This means that there is a greater need for medical examinations and training in patient visits in which these conditions are available.
When assessing the sleep, 4 dimensions must be taken into account: quantity, quality, time and state of mind. Bears is a useful acronym that can be used when parents and supervisors are asked about the sleep of children: (b) resistance before going to bed (deceleration to sleep); (E) excessive daytime sleepiness; (A) Nocturnal awakening (Parasomnia); (R) Regularity, pattern and duration; and (s) snoring and other symptoms. 4.6
While there are many pediatric sleep disorders, pediatric insomnia is the most common that concerns about 6 % of the typical children and up to 75 % of children with developmental disorders. With pediatric insomnia, it is often more the parents than the child who are frustrated, and the parents are often the ones who have negative effects on daily performance and an increased stress level.
It is easy to see how parental emotions, especially in such cases, can influence the prescription behavior of the providers. The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey has shown that 81 % of children leave the hospital with a recipe when visiting sleep disorders, compared to 48 % of adults. Particularly worrying about this statistics is that there are currently no medication approved by the FDA to treat sleep problems in children. 6 While integrative practitioners would probably not suggest prescription sleeping pills, it would be interesting to know whether a similar percentage would give children homeopathic, botanical or food supplements for sleep. If several behavioral interventions fail, both naturopathic and prescription treatments can of course be appropriate; However, a sedated sleep cannot be equated with a normal relaxing sleep.
The authors found that parents who reported that they had sleep disorders themselves experienced their children as stronger sleep disorders.
As a naturopathic doctor, this study reminds me of two basic principles that we hold up: great Tausam (find the cause) and docere (teach). In addition, the therapeutic arrangement for all patients is the removal of disruptive factors and the introduction of a health -promoting lifestyle before interventions of all kinds. In pediatric sleep problems, we should contact the entire family and ensure that there are no unnecessary interventions that bring about damage. We have to consider that parents may overestimate their children's sleep disorders due to their own sleep disorders. In addition, we have to discuss the expectations of parents and caregivers in the sleep of their children compared to the development standards of their respective age groups. This leads to a natural transition to clarify these standards, including sleep requirements and good habits, understanding of the signs of sleep problems and suggestions on how sleep can be improved for the whole family.
parents with more knowledge about sleep will be more likely to introduce better sleep hygiene routines for their children, including regular, earlier bedtime, regular alarm times, falling asleep without an adult and no television in bedtime.
instead of simply relying on the parental message of sleep disorders and immediately treating children with calming, nervous and adaptogenic plant substances or nutritional supplements such as melatonin, it can have a greater influence on the family unit to assess and treat the sleep of the parents. A healthy sleep hygiene with the whole family will only have a positive effect. While parents generally recognize the importance of a sleeping routine for their children, we may have to remind them that an established routine is also essential for their sleep and health.
Further studies on preconceived and perinatal sleeping habits as well as the sleep quality of parents could also prove to be interesting. While the assumption is that parents who have slept poorly in the preconsmitted and perinatal phase report on sleep disorders with their children, it is also possible that parents who slept well before birth are those who sleep worse after birth. These "good sleepers" may feel "more interrupted" than parents who have already been used to poorly sleep quality. This is unknown and further research is justified to examine whether children with sleep disorders have parents with historically bad or good sleep. This can also inform us of whether sleep disorders are influenced by genetic or learned behaviors.
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