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Prevalence and stability of insufficient sleep measured by actigraphy: a prospective community study

Bror M Ranum1, Lars Wichstrøm2,3,4, Ståle Pallesen5

  • 1Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. bror.ranum@ntnu.no.

Pediatric Research
|February 2, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Insufficient sleep in children is common, with prevalence varying by definition. Sleep duration patterns change throughout childhood, suggesting transient issues rather than persistent problems needing intervention.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Child Development
  • Objective Sleep Measurement

Background:

  • Reduced sleep negatively impacts school-aged children's functioning.
  • The prevalence and stability of objectively measured insufficient sleep in children are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence and stability of insufficient sleep in children aged 6 to 12 years.
  • To compare two definitions of insufficient sleep: average insufficient sleep (AIS) and number of nights with insufficient sleep (NNIS).

Main Methods:

  • Utilized biennial accelerometer data from 799 children aged 6 to 12 years.
  • Defined insufficient sleep as sleeping <7 hours on average (AIS) and by the number of nights with <7 hours of sleep (NNIS).

Main Results:

  • Prevalence of AIS ranged from 1.1% to 13.6%.
  • Sleep duration patterns varied, with NNIS higher on weekend nights in younger children but lower in 12-year-olds.
  • AIS stability was low between ages 6-10, increasing by age 12, while NNIS showed higher stability.

Conclusions:

  • Insufficient sleep prevalence increases toward preadolescence.
  • Sleep duration stability is low for AIS and moderate for NNIS, suggesting NNIS may be more sensitive.
  • Insufficient sleep in middle childhood appears transient and may not require intervention unless persistent and impairing.
Abstract

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