Related Experiment Videos

To sleep or not to sleep: a repeated daily challenge for African American children

Karen Spruyt1, Calista U Alaribe, Odochi U Nwabara

  • 1Rett Expertise Centre - Governor Kremers Centre, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium; Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Shanghai Children's Medical Center affiliated with Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics
|September 3, 2014
PubMed

Insights

African American children in Chicago slept less than recommended, with significant night-to-night variability. Daytime naps appeared to compensate for insufficient nighttime sleep, suggesting a need for improved sleep opportunities.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Child Development
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Sleep is crucial for children's development and well-being.
  • Previous surveys indicated higher rates of poor sleep in minority populations.
  • Objective data on sleep patterns in minority children were lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To objectively characterize sleep patterns in African American children.
  • To investigate sleep duration and variability in this population.

Main Methods:

  • A 1-year cross-sectional study involving 24 African American children on Chicago's South Side.
  • Objective sleep recording for 14 days, repeated three times.
  • Analysis of nighttime sleep duration and daytime napping patterns.

Main Results:

  • Children averaged 6.51 hours of nighttime sleep and 1.42 hours of daytime sleep.
  • Significant variability in sleep duration and quality, particularly on weekends.
  • Daytime sleep appeared to compensate for insufficient nighttime sleep ('catch-up' sleep).

Conclusions:

  • African American children in the study obtained insufficient nighttime sleep.
  • Diurnal sleep patterns showed significant fluctuations, likely driven by need and opportunity.
  • Interventions should focus on creating better sleep opportunities for children.
Abstract

Keywords:
ActigraphyAfrican AmericanChildLongitudinalNapSleep

Related Concept Videos

Sleep-Wake Cycles01:24

Sleep-Wake Cycles

Sleep is an essential physiological process vital to maintaining overall well-being. The reticular activating system (RAS), a network of neurons in the brainstem, regulates wakefulness and sleep. While it may seem passive, sleep consists of distinct cycles, each with its unique characteristics and functions. Two key sleep phases are non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and  rapid eye movement (REM).
NREM Sleep
NREM sleep comprises four progressive stages that seamlessly merge:
2.9K
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder01:15

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD) is a sleep disorder characterized by the absence of muscle paralysis that normally occurs during the REM phase of sleep. This absence allows individuals to physically act out their dreams, which are often vivid and disturbing. Common behaviors exhibited during episodes include kicking, punching, and yelling. These actions can be dangerous, potentially leading to injuries for the person with RBD or their bed partner.
RBD is significantly associated with...
2.9K
Nightmares and Night Terrors01:18

Nightmares and Night Terrors

Nightmares and night terrors represent two distinct types of sleep disturbances that differ in timing, characteristics, and the sleeper's recall of the event. Nightmares are vivid, disturbing dreams that usually awaken the sleeper from REM sleep, a stage of sleep where brain activity is high, and dreams are most frequent. Upon awakening, individuals often have detailed recollections of their nightmares, which can include themes of threats to survival, security, or self-esteem.
Nightmares...
994
Stages of Sleep01:22

Stages of Sleep

Sleep progresses through distinct stages, each characterized by specific brain wave patterns and physiological responses ranging from wakefulness to stages of non-rapid eye movement, known as non-REM, to rapid eye movement, referred to as REM. Understanding these stages helps in recognizing how sleep supports various bodily and cognitive functions.
Before sleep begins, in wakefulness, the brain exhibits primarily beta waves, which are high in frequency and low in amplitude, indicating alertness...
1.6K
Insufficient Sleep and Sleep Deprivation01:13

Insufficient Sleep and Sleep Deprivation

Insufficient sleep refers to not getting the recommended amount of sleep for optimal functioning, even if it's just slightly less than needed. Sleep insufficiency may occur due to lifestyle choices, such as staying up late for social events or work, resulting in routinely getting less sleep than required. For example, consistently sleeping 6 hours when the body needs 7-9 hours can lead to cumulative effects on health and well-being.
Sleep deprivation is a more severe form of sleep loss...
1.4K
Circadian Rhythms and Gene Regulation02:19

Circadian Rhythms and Gene Regulation

The biological clock is involved in many aspects of regulating complex physiology in all animals. It was in 1935 when German zoologists, Hans Kalmus and Erwin Bünning, discovered the existence of circadian rhythm in Drosophila melanogaster. However, the internal molecular mechanisms behind the circadian clock remained a mystery until 1984, when Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W. Young discovered the expression of the Per gene oscillating over a 24-hour cycle. In subsequent...
3.4K