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Sleep and wakefulness in normal preadolescent children
L Palm1, E Persson, D Elmqvist
1Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
Insights
Healthy children aged 8-12 show minimal daytime sleepiness and normal reaction times. Home sleep recordings reduced the first-night effect, revealing unique sleep patterns in preadolescents.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sleep Medicine
- Neuroscience
- Chronobiology
Background:
- Understanding sleep patterns in healthy preadolescent children is crucial for identifying developmental norms and potential sleep disturbances.
- Previous studies may have been influenced by laboratory recording environments, potentially affecting sleep quality and the 'first-night effect'.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize nighttime sleep architecture and daytime sleepiness in healthy children aged 8-12 years using polygraphic recordings and Multiple Sleep Latency Tests (MSLT).
- To investigate the impact of home-based sleep recordings on reducing the first-night effect and to assess reaction times in this age group.
Main Methods:
- Polygraphic sleep recordings were conducted at home for two consecutive nights in 18 healthy children (9 boys, 9 girls, aged 8-12).
- Sleep staging was performed manually. Multiple Sleep Latency Tests (MSLT) were administered in a laboratory setting with four sleep trials.
- Reaction times were measured repeatedly between MSLT trials.
Main Results:
- Home sleep recordings showed a reduced first-night effect and more slow-wave sleep compared to previous studies.
- An incomplete initial sleep cycle with a mixed rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep stage was observed in most subjects.
- MSLT confirmed low daytime sleepiness, with mean sleep latency significantly longer than 10 minutes, and reaction times were within normal age-appropriate limits.
- No significant correlations were found between nighttime sleep parameters, daytime sleep latencies, and reaction times.
Conclusions:
- Home-based sleep recordings are effective in minimizing the first-night effect and may provide more naturalistic sleep data in children.
- Healthy preadolescent children exhibit low levels of daytime sleepiness and normal cognitive-motor performance.
- The observed sleep stage variations suggest unique sleep cycle dynamics in this age group, warranting further investigation.
Abstract:
Eighteen healthy children, 9 boys and 9 girls, between 8 and 12 years of age were examined with polygraphic sleep records, multiple sleep latency tests (MSLTs), and measurements of reaction times. Sleep was recorded at home on Oxford Medilog 9 channel cassette tape recorders (Oxford Medical Systems, Abingdon, U.K.) and sleep staging was performed from the screen of the display unit. Two consecutive nights were recorded. MSLT was done in the laboratory. The subjects were given 30 min to fall asleep on four occasions during the day after the last recorded night of sleep. Reaction times were measured repeatedly between each MSLT trial. More slow wave sleep was found in this study compared to others. Also, the first night effect was slight. It is proposed that this is due to the fact that the recordings were performed at home. The initial sleep cycle was incomplete in almost all subjects. A sleep stage with traits of both rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM could be seen in this cycle, probably representing an abortive REM period. MSLT confirmed the low daytime sleepiness in healthy preadolescent children. A sleep latency of 10 min or less on two or more sleep trials, or a daily mean sleep latency of less than 20 min, is rarely seen in this age group. The reaction times were within normal limits for the age of the subjects. Nighttime sleep values, daytime sleep latencies, and reaction times were not correlated in these normal-sleeping children.