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Sleep and psychological disturbance in nocturnal asthma
1University of Oxford Section of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Park Hospital for Children, Headington, UK.
Insights
Children with nocturnal asthma experience significant sleep disturbances, impacting their behavior and cognitive functions like memory and concentration. Improving asthma control leads to better sleep and psychological well-being.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Sleep Medicine
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Nocturnal asthma frequently disrupts children's sleep.
- Sleep disturbances in pediatric asthma can affect daytime functioning.
- The relationship between asthma, sleep, and psychological outcomes requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sleep disturbances in children with nocturnal asthma.
- To explore the link between sleep problems and daytime psychological function.
- To assess the impact of asthma treatment improvements on sleep and psychological status.
Main Methods:
- Home polysomnography for objective sleep assessment.
- Parental questionnaires for subjective sleep, behavior, and mood.
- Cognitive testing for memory and concentration evaluation.
- Comparison with matched healthy controls.
Main Results:
- Children with asthma exhibited significantly more disturbed sleep than controls.
- Asthma patients showed a tendency towards more psychological problems.
- Impaired performance in memory and concentration tests was observed in children with asthma.
- Improvements in nocturnal asthma symptoms correlated with enhanced sleep and psychological function.
Conclusions:
- Nocturnal asthma significantly impacts sleep quality and quantity in children.
- Sleep disturbances associated with asthma can negatively affect cognitive abilities and behavior.
- Effective management of nocturnal asthma is crucial for improving children's sleep and overall psychological well-being.
Abstract:
Subjective and objective sleep disturbance was studied in children with nocturnal asthma. Relations between such disturbance and daytime psychological function were also explored, including possible changes in learning and behaviour associated with improvements in nocturnal asthma and sleep. Assessments included home polysomnography, parental questionnaires concerning sleep disturbance, behaviour, and mood and cognitive testing. Compared with matched controls, children with asthma had significantly more disturbed sleep, tended to have more psychological problems, and they performed less well on some tests of memory and concentration. In general, improvement of nocturnal asthma symptoms by changes in treatment was followed by improvement in sleep and psychological function in subsequent weeks. The effects of asthma on sleep and the possible psychological consequences are important aspects of overall care.