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Sleeping
Troubles Common
Among School
Children
NEW
YORK (Reuters Health) - Sleep problems are common among American
children and may signal problems in daytime life, study findings
suggest.
``Parental
reports of their children's sleep problems may be a red flag for
specific sleep problems and psychiatric, social or medical problems,''
according to Dr. Mark A. Stein, of George Washington University
School of Medicine and Children's National Medical Center in Washington,
DC, and colleagues.
In a survey
of parents of 472 children aged 4 to 12, almost 11% reported that
their child had a sleeping disturbance that lasted longer than
2 weeks in the past 6 months. And more than 20% of parents said
their child took too long to fall asleep, snored or was fatigued
during the day at least once a week. Sleep walking, head banging,
nightmares and night terrors were less common occurrences.
Stein and
his colleagues found that sleep problems appeared to decline as
children aged. Two thirds of those who had trouble sleeping at
age 2 had no difficulty sleeping later in life. But in their report,
published in the April online issue of Pediatrics, the authors
indicate that a history of prior disturbances at a young age is
still the best indicator of future sleep troubles.
The researchers
found an association between reports of sleep problems and a range
of medical and social issues, including a link between sleep disturbance
and allergies, ear infections and hearing problems. Also, children
who were anxious, depressed or aggressive seemed to have more
trouble falling asleep and staying asleep.
``We were
surprised at how common sleep problems were according to parents,''
Stein told Reuters Health. He suggested that parents be proactive
by discussing children's sleep difficulties with the child's pediatrician.
And he encouraged doctors to routinely solicit information about
sleep behavior from parents who might otherwise not raise the
issue.
SOURCE:
Pediatrics (online) 2001;107:e60.
Reference
Source 89
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