Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2026
Measuring Neural Mechanisms Underlying Sleep-Dependent Memory Consolidation During Naps in Early Childhood
Published on: October 2, 2019
Sleep assessment of children with cerebral palsy: Using validated sleep questionnaire
Riad M Elsayed1, Bothina M Hasanein, Hala E Sayyah
1Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Neurology Unit, Mansoura University, Egypt.
Insights
Children with cerebral palsy (CP) experience frequent sleep disturbances. This study highlights high rates of insomnia, sleep bruxism, sleep-disordered breathing, and excessive daytime sleepiness in affected children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Sleep Medicine
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Clinical observations suggest frequent sleep disturbances in children with cerebral palsy (CP).
- Limited objective data exists to confirm the prevalence and nature of sleep problems in this population.
- This study addresses the need for empirical evidence on sleep issues in children with CP.
Purpose of the Study:
- To objectively assess sleep disturbances in children diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP).
- To identify specific sleep problems prevalent in different age groups within the CP population.
- To utilize validated sleep questionnaires for accurate data collection.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 100 children diagnosed with CP, aged 2-12 years, participated in the study.
- Participants were categorized into two age groups: pre-school (52 children) and school-aged (48 children).
- Sleep patterns were evaluated using validated sleep questionnaires.
Main Results:
- High incidences of sleep problems were observed in both pre-school and school-aged children with CP.
- Pre-schoolers showed higher rates of early insomnia (46.2%) and sleep bruxism (50%).
- School-aged children exhibited greater prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing (50%), nightmares (50%), sleep talking (12.5%), and excessive daytime sleepiness (62.5%).
Conclusions:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) is associated with a high incidence of sleep problems across both pre-school and school-aged children.
- Specific sleep disturbances vary in prevalence between different age groups of children with CP.
- Findings underscore the importance of addressing sleep issues in the comprehensive care of children with CP.
Background:
On the basis of clinical experience, it seems that sleep disturbances are common in children with cerebral palsy (CP); however, there is a lack of research and objective data to support this observation.
Aim Of Work:
Our aim was to assess sleep of children with cerebral palsy, using validated sleep questionnaire.
Subjects And Methods:
one hundred children with diagnosis of CP were investigated via sleep questionnaires, with their ages from 2-12 years. The 100 children with CP were divided into two groups, pre-school group (52 children had a mean age 2.35 ± 1.04 years) and school ages group (48 children had a mean age 10.21 ± 3.75 years).
Results:
We found high incidence of sleep problem in both pre-school and school age groups. We found that pre-school children have more prevalence of early insomnia (46.2%, P value 0.028) and sleep bruxism (50%, P value 0.000), while school group suffer more sleep disordered breathing (SDB) (50%, P value 0.001), more nightmares (50%, P value 0.001), more sleep talking (12.5% P value 0.049), and more excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) (62.5%, P value 0.001).
Conclusion:
Results of our study indicate that CP children have high incidence of sleep problem in both pre-school and school age groups.
