Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation in Children

Saralyn Lawn, Lower School Director, Eton Academy

In this age of cell phones and multi-tasking, we are often in overdrive while suffering from sleep deprivation. As we try to fit more and more into our twenty-four hour days and are increasingly bombarded with media, what effect does this have on our children? How much quality sleep are our children getting and what are we modeling for them?

Sleep problems in children can cause depression, low self-esteem, difficulty in concentration and/or focus, difficulty with critical thinking, problem solving and hyperactivity. Sleep deprivation that continues over an extended period of time may present as Attention Deficit Disorder, and increases a child’s risk of obesity, diabetes and clinical depression. Furthermore, children who suffer from sleep deprivation are at a greater risk for health, performance and safety problems. Sleep is an important and necessary component of a healthy lifestyle and the current research is proving time and again that our children are especially at risk when they are sleep deprived.

Students who are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder may also suffer from low self-esteem, depression and/or anxiety. All of these things can be related to and exacerbated by sleep deprivation. Research shows us that our nation’s children are being chronically sleep deprived and it is having catastrophic effects.

It is amazing how many times a student ends up coming to my office because he or she is having a ‘bad’ day and the student ends up confessing that they stayed up late the night before for a special event, a television program or just because he/she ‘couldn’t sleep.’ Students often tell me that they have trouble falling asleep or that they are in a bad mood because they ‘don’t like to get up in the morning.’ In school, we witness the effects of sleep deprivation in children daily.

Sleep deprivation may be a result of simply not going to bed early enough, but it can also be related to sleep disorders that have gone unrecognized. In an article in Science News, B. Bower states: “…nearly 20 percent of kids in the second, fourth and sixth grades have serious sleep problems that typically aren’t perceived by either the children or their parents.” Sleep problems or disorders may include having difficulty falling asleep, regularly waking up three or more times during the night, night terrors and sleep apnea.

So, what are the symptoms of sleep deprivation in children? Unlike adults who are mainly lethargic and sleepy when they are sleep deprived, children often become hyperactive. This hyperactivity often makes it difficult for children to fall asleep at night, which in turn, creates greater sleep deprivation. It can be a vicious cycle.

What are some of the common signs of sleep disorders/deprivation in children?

 
• Frequent waking during the night
• Taking a long time to fall asleep
• Waking up crying
• Daytime sleepiness
• Nightmares, night terrors and/or bedwetting
• Grinding and/or clenching one’s teeth
• Waking up prematurely
• Talking during sleep and/or sleep walking
• Hyperactivity
• Low frustration tolerance and/or moodiness
• Difficulty getting up in the morning

While these are possible symptoms of sleep deprivation and disorders, it is also important to remember that they can also be symptoms of other problems and that this is not meant to be a diagnostic list.

How much sleep do our children need? According to experts, children ages six to nine should get ten to eleven hours of sleep each night. From ages ten to fourteen children should get between nine and ten hours of sleep every night. Adolescents, ages fifteen and older, need eight to nine hours of sleep (Sleep Deprivation). As children get older, they often stay up later, but they still get up at the same time, or earlier, for school. Many teenagers work after school, play sports and have social commitments that result in loss of sleep. We need to pay attention to teenagers’ sleep schedules to ensure that their after school activities are not at the expense of their sleep. It is also important that children maintain consistent bedtimes on weekdays and weekends. There is no such thing as ‘catching up on sleep,’ which adolescents (and some adults) are famous for. If children sleep in on weekends, it sets them up for sleep problems during the week. Once you loose out on sleep, it is gone, there is no ‘making it up’ in terms of the effects on our mind and body, according to doctors.

According to Pediatric Neurology, “Recent research has verified that chronic poor sleep results in daytime tiredness, difficulties with focused attention, low threshold to express negative emotion (irritability and easy frustration), and difficulty modulating impulses and emotions” (Dr. Green). Sound familiar? These symptoms overlap to a great extent with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. At the same time ADHD can cause poor sleep. How does one figure out which came first? You may want to consider a sleep study. During a sleep study a patient’s quality of sleep is monitored through a variety of methods to determine whether or not a person has a sleep disorder. If a child has an undiagnosed sleep disorder, an earlier bedtime alone will not solve the problem. “ADD is an important problem in its own right, but research in sleep laboratories has shown that some (a great many) kids are mislabeled with ADD when the real problem is chronic, partial sleep deprivation” (Dr. Green).

In addition, there is a major connection between time in front of the screen and sleep disorders. One study suggests: “Children who watch a lot of television – especially at bedtime or on a TV set in their bedroom – are more likely to resist going to bed, have trouble sleeping or wake up more…” Watching TV tends to stimulate children whereas for adults it can be relaxing. Similarly, video games can impact a child’s quality and amount of sleep.

What can parents do?

 
1. Talk to your pediatrician about concerns. Try and evaluate your child’s schedule and pay attention to how much priority is placed on sleep.
2. Set limits. A consistent bedtime that children follow seven days a week. Do not let children oversleep on weekends.
3. Do not allow children to have a TV in their bedroom or to watch TV prior to bedtime.
4. Do not allow children to play video games anywhere near bedtime and always check the appropriateness of the rating.
5. Do not allow children to watch violent television programs. They can contribute to restless sleep and nightmares (among other things).
6. If you question whether or not your child has a sleep disorder pursue a sleep study.
7. Be a role model. Model the importance of sleep, rest and relaxation for your children. Model reading before bedtime as a means to relax.
8. Point out to your child his/her mood or emotional state after losing sleep. Help children learn to recognize the difference in the way they feel or in the way they concentrate or learn after losing sleep. The ability to self-reflect is an invaluable tool for everyone and it is never too early to practice it!
9. Do not allow children to have drinks that contain caffeine and or food and drinks that contain lots of sugar, especially late in the day, as they can effect the ability to fall asleep.
10. Make sleep a number one priority. Do not let after school activities and jobs interfere with a child’s time for sleep.

Happy, restful sleeping!

Works Consulted

“Are Your Students Sleep Deprived?” Education World. Education World. 10 May 2004

http://www.educationworld.com/a_admn/admin271.shtml.
“Even Kids Suffer from Sleep Deprivation.” CNN.com./HEALTH. WebMD.com. 5 May 2004 http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH. Path: parenting; 02/27/; kids.sleep.
“Grade Schoolers Grow into Sleep Loss.” Science News. Science News, May 20, 2000, by B. Bower. 5 May 2004 http://findarticles.com. Path: sleep deprivation; children.
“Lack of Sleep Takes Toll on Brain Power.” WebMDHealth. WebMD Medical News Archive. 5 May 2004 http://my.webmd.com. Path: content; article/ 21/1728_54980.
“Sleep Deprivation.” my Healthy Advantage Children’s Health. LifeWise Health Plan of Oregon. 5 May 2004 http://lifewise.ahealthyadvantage.com. Path: topic; sleepdepchild.
“Sleep Deprivation and ADHD.” drgreene. 5 May 2004 http://www.drgreene.com/21_621.html.
“Study Links TV Viewing to Sleep Deprivation in Children.” The Daily Ardmoreite. 5 May 2004 http://ardmoreite.com/stories/090899/new_sleep.shtml.
“What Makes Teens Tick?” Time 10 May 2004: 57 65.