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The Relationship Between Night Sleep Duration and Anxiety Among Preschool Children: A Cross-Sectional Study in China

Lili Zhang1, Yanqi Hu1,2, Dandan He3

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Minhang Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201199, People's Republic of China.

Nature and Science of Sleep
|April 27, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Preschoolers sleeping 9 hours or less per night show increased anxiety symptoms. Prioritizing adequate sleep is crucial for early childhood mental health and wellness initiatives.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Pediatric Mental Health

Background:

  • Anxiety symptoms are a growing concern in preschool-aged children.
  • Understanding the impact of sleep duration on early childhood mental health is critical.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between habitual nighttime sleep duration and anxiety symptoms in preschoolers.
  • To determine a potential sleep duration threshold for mental health promotion in early childhood.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 1589 preschoolers.
  • Parents reported sleep duration (Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire) and anxiety symptoms (Preschool Anxiety Scale).
  • Linear mixed-effects models (LMM) analyzed the relationship between sleep duration and anxiety, controlling for covariates.

Main Results:

  • Preschoolers with ≤9 hours of nighttime sleep exhibited significantly higher overall anxiety scores and elevated scores in specific anxiety subdomains compared to those sleeping >10 hours.
  • Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of findings across different sleep duration thresholds and weekday data.
  • A trend towards elevated generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) scores was observed in shorter sleepers.

Conclusions:

  • A nighttime sleep duration of approximately 9 hours appears to be a key indicator for sleep health in preschoolers.
  • These findings underscore the importance of establishing age-appropriate sleep durations within early childhood wellness programs.
  • Promoting healthy sleep habits is essential for supporting preschooler mental well-being.
Abstract

Keywords:
anxiety symptomscross-sectional studylinear mixed-effects modelsnighttime sleep durationpreschool children

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