Rationale: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children is associated with substantial neurobehavioral and cognitive dysfunction. However, not all children with OSA exhibit altered cognitive performance. Objectives: To assess the magnitude of the systemic inflammatory response, as measured by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) serum levels which may identify children with OSA at higher susceptibility for cognitive morbidity. Methods: Habitually snoring children and nonsnoring children (total, 278; age range, 5-7 yr) were recruited from the community, and underwent overnight polysomnography and neurocognitive testing and a blood draw the next morning. Snoring children were divided into OSA and no-OSA groups, and children with OSA were further subdivided into those with two or more abnormal cognitive subtests and into those with normal cognitive scores. Serum levels of hsCRP were also measured. Measurements and Main

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Objectives The effects of sleep-disordered breathing, sleep restriction, dyssomnias, and parasomnias on daytime behavior in children have been previously assessed. However, the potential relationship(s) between sleep hygiene and children’s daytime behavior remain to be explored. The primary goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between sleep hygiene and problematic behaviors in non-snoring and habitually snoring children. Methods Parents of 100 5- to 8-year-old children who were reported to snore “frequently” to “almost always,” and of 71 age-, gender-, and ethnicity-matched children who were reported to never snore participated in this study. As part of a larger, ongoing study, children underwent nocturnal polysomnography and parents were asked to complete the Children’s Sleep Hygiene Scale (CSHS) and the Conners’ Parent Rating Scales-Revised (CPRS-R:L). Results In the snoring group, strong negative correlations (r = −.39, p <.001) between the CSHS overall sleep hygiene score and the CPRS-R:L DSM-IV total scores emerged. Additionally, several subscales of the CSHS and CPRS-R:L were significantly correlated (p-values from <.000 to .004) in snoring children. No significant correlations were observed between the CSHS and the CPRS-R:L in the non-snoring children. Conclusions Parental reports of behavioral patterns in snoring children indicate that poorer sleep hygiene is more likely to be associated with behavior problems, including hyperactivity, impulsivity, and oppositional behavior. In contrast, no significant relationships between sleep hygiene and problem behaviors emerged among non-snoring children. These results indicate that children at risk for sleep disordered breathing are susceptible to daytime behavior impairments when concurrently coupled with poor sleep hygiene practices.