Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026
07:40
Multi-Modal Home Sleep Monitoring in Older Adults
Published on: January 26, 2019
Modest first night effect on sleep in healthy school-age children using home-based polysomnography
Jia Xu Toby Seah1, Nicole A Nazareth2, Tiffany B Koa1
1Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Human Potential Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Sleep Health
|June 3, 2026
Summary
The first night effect in children
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sleep Medicine
- Neuroscience
- Child Psychology
Background:
- The first night effect (FNE) is a common phenomenon where sleep quality and architecture are altered during the initial night of polysomnography (PSG).
- Understanding FNE in children is crucial for accurate sleep assessment in clinical and research settings.
- Previous research on FNE has primarily focused on adult populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the first night effect in healthy school-age children using home-based polysomnography.
- To compare sleep macro- and microstructure between two non-consecutive nights of sleep.
- To determine the reliability of a single night of at-home PSG for sleep assessment in children.
Main Methods:
- 41 healthy Singaporean school-age children (mean age 9.77 years) underwent two unattended home-based polysomnography (PSG) recordings.
- Recordings were separated by at least one week, with participants following habitual school-night sleep schedules.
- Paired-sample t tests were used to analyze within-subject differences in sleep macro- and microarchitecture.
Main Results:
- Children spent more time in bed on the first night (15.97 min) but total sleep time did not differ.
- The first night showed increased wake after sleep onset (10.63 min) and lower sleep efficiency (-2.28%).
- Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep latency was delayed by 19.39 min on the first night; sleep stage durations and microarchitecture remained consistent.
Conclusions:
- The first night effect in healthy children sleeping at home is modest.
- Minor increases in awakenings and delayed REM sleep onset were observed.
- A single night of at-home PSG may offer reliable sleep estimates for this age group.
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