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Updated: Mar 31, 2026
Measuring Neural Mechanisms Underlying Sleep-Dependent Memory Consolidation During Naps in Early Childhood
Published on: October 2, 2019
Intraindividual long-term stability of sleep electroencephalography in school-aged children
Nadine Perkinson-Gloor1, Priska Hagmann-von Arx1, Serge Brand2
1Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Objective:
To examine the long-term stability of sleep duration, sleep continuity, and sleep architecture assessed via unattended home sleep electroencephalography (EEG) during middle childhood.
Methods:
A total of 69 healthy children (18 girls and 51 boys) aged 8.2 years (standard deviation = 1.3 years) at T1 underwent unattended home sleep EEG on two nights separated by 18.5 months (standard deviation = 3.9 months). Of the children, 34 (49.3%) children were born prematurely (<32 gestational weeks; mean birth weight = 1367 g) and 35 (50.7%) children were born at term (mean birth weight = 3275 g).
Results:
We found moderate to substantial stability (all p <0.001) for total sleep time (TST; intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.65), slow wave sleep (SWS; min, %: ICC = 0.49), and stage 2 sleep (min; ICC = 0.47), and found fair stability (all p <0.013) for sleep efficiency (ICC = 0.28), nocturnal awakenings (ICC = 0.33), stage 2 sleep (%; ICC = 0.32), and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (min: ICC = 0.33; %: ICC = 0.27). Prematurity status was not associated with stability of sleep EEG indices over time.
Conclusions:
Long-term follow-up of one night of unattended home sleep EEG during middle childhood reveals that TST, stage 2 sleep, and SWS are relatively stable, trait-like characteristics. This applies less strongly for sleep efficiency, nocturnal awakenings, and REM sleep. Stage 1 sleep and REM latency showed no stability.
