Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 1, 2026
Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Activity in Toddlers - Resting and Developmental Challenges
Published on: February 25, 2016
Short-term prospective study of sleep disturbances in 5-8-year-old children
H Smedje1, J E Broman, J Hetta
1Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden. Hans.Smedje@bupinst.uu.se
Insights
Sleep disturbances like difficulty falling asleep, night waking, snoring, nightmares, and bedwetting are common and often persist in middle childhood. Persistent nightmares may signal underlying psychological issues in children.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Sleep Medicine
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Sleep disturbances are prevalent in middle childhood.
- Understanding the persistence and correlates of these disturbances is crucial for child well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the course and psychological correlates of five common sleep disturbances in 5-8-year-old children.
- To identify associations between sleep problems and behavioral outcomes over a 1-year period.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study involving 614 children aged 5-8 years.
- Parental questionnaires assessed sleep disturbances (difficulty falling asleep, night waking, snoring, nightmares, bedwetting) at baseline and 14-month follow-up.
- Correlations explored between sleep disturbances and psychological/behavioral factors.
Main Results:
- High persistence rates observed for all five sleep disturbances over 14 months (ranging from 29.6% for nightmares to 60% for snoring).
- Specific sleep issues at baseline were linked to various follow-up outcomes: difficulty falling asleep with bedtime resistance, night waking with co-sleeping, snoring with restless sleep, nightmares with behavioral difficulties, and bedwetting with hyperactivity.
- Persistent nightmares were strongly associated with behavioral and emotional problems.
Conclusions:
- Sleep disturbances are frequently persistent during middle childhood.
- Persistent nightmares in this age group are a significant indicator of potential psychological and emotional difficulties.
Unlabelled:
The course and psychological correlates of disturbed sleep during middle childhood were investigated using parents' responses to questionnaires. Five specified sleep disturbances were explored in 614 5-8-y-old children, at baseline and at follow-up, 14 +/- 3 mo later. Difficulties falling asleep, in 6.2% of the children at baseline, persisted in 47.4% of the cases at follow-up; night-waking, in 18.6% at baseline, persisted in 45.5%; snoring, in 9.4% at baseline, persisted in 60%; nightmares, in 4.4% at baseline, persisted in 29.6%, and bedwetting, in 6% at baseline, persisted in 46%. Moreover, children with difficulties falling asleep at baseline frequently displayed bedtime resistance and shorter sleep at follow-up, while night-waking at baseline was related to co-sleeping at follow-up. Snoring at baseline was associated with a trend towards restless sleep at follow-up. Nightmares at baseline were related to several other sleep complaints as well as to behavioural difficulties during daytime at follow-up. Bedwetting at baseline was associated with tendencies towards hyperactivity at follow-up. Separate analyses of cases of persisting sleep disturbances showed that persisting difficulties falling asleep were associated with a need to remedy sleep problems, while persisting nightmares were strongly related to reports suggesting behavioural and emotional problems.
Conclusion:
During middle childhood, difficulties falling asleep, night-waking, snoring, nightmares or bedwetting commonly persist over the course of a year. Persistent nightmares frequently indicate significant psychological problems in affected children.
