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Poor Sleep Can Have A Big Impact on Kids
Source: HealthDay News. (2006, September
8). Poor sleep can have big impact on kids. Kids Newsletter,
September 25, 2006, ed. Scout News LLC.
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Sleep-related breathing and movement disorders
in children are linked
to attention-deficits and behavioral problems, researchers
report.
These problems can affect kids' memory, academic performance,
functioning and ability to socialize, say studies in the current
issue of Sleep.
One study analyzed previous research on the relationship between
childhood sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and neurobehavioral
functioning. SDB is a group of disorders that includes obstructive
sleep
apnea and snoring.
About 10 to 12 percent of children snore. While obstructive
sleep
apnea is more common in adults, it may be diagnosed in children
with
large tonsils.
A University of Cincinnati study found strong evidence of an
association between childhood SDB and deficits in behavior
and
emotion regulation, school performance, sustained attention,
selective
attention and alertness. It also found some evidence that SDB
can
affect a child's mood, expressive language skills, visual perception
and
working memory.
A second study, by researchers at Drexel
University in Philadelphia,
found that many children with bruxism-grinding or clenching
of teeth
during sleep-also suffered disturbed sleep and were at
increased risk
for attention and behavior problems.
This study of ten children found that eight of them had
bruxism. Of those, 66 percent experienced
disturbed sleep and, in this subset, 40 percent had significant
attention and behavior problems.
About 14 to 17 percent of children have bruxism, and
about a third of children with bruxism will have it
into adulthood. The study authors recommended that children
undergo early screening for bruxism. |
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A third study found that, among people younger
than age 40, "periodic leg movements" occur more
often
during the daytime. In people over age 40, they occur more
often during sleep.
Periodic leg movements refer to episodes of simple, repetitive
uncontrollable muscle movements. It most
often occurs in the lower legs. It can reach the level of a
condition called "periodic limb movement
disorder," which may be a factor in depression, poor memory,
short attention span, or fatigue.
People whose sleep is severely disturbed by periodic leg movements
can suffer extreme daytime
tiredness, researchers said. It can also disrupt the lives of
people who experience it during the daytime, the
study authors said.
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