Sleep habits and starting time to school in Brazilian children

Abstract

-Objective: This study investigated the sleep habits in Brazilian children according to age, gender and starting time to school. Method: We investigated 2,482 scholars aged 7 to 10 years. We compared sleep habits, gender, and starting time to school (morning and aftern o o n ) . R e s u l t s: Sixty-one per cent of the children presented sleep rituals before sleep. Milk drinking before sleep was more frequent among seven years old children. We found a progressive reduction with age in keeping the lights on. Girls used to leave an object to bed more than boys did. Children that studied in the morning presented reduced total sleep time, sleep earlier, and nap more frequently than children that studied in the afternoon. Conclusion. Starting time to school deeply influences sleep habits in Brazilian children from São Paulo City, in whom bed-time rituals are highly prevalent.KEY WORDS: sleep habits, nap, total sleep time, bed-time, starting time to school, children. Hábitos de sono e período escolar em crianças brasileiras RESUMO -O b j e t i v o s:Estudar os hábitos de sono nas crianças brasileiras de acordo com a idade, sexo e perío-do escolar. Método: Estudamos 2.482 crianças em idade escolar de 7 a 10 anos. Comparamos hábitos de sono, sexo e período escolar (matutino e vespertino). Resultados: 61% das crianças apresentaram rituais de sono antes de dormir. Beber leite antes de dormir foi mais freqüente entre as crianças de 7 anos de idade. Encontramos redução progressiva com a idade em se manter a luz acesa. Meninas possuíam mais objetos para dormir que os meninos. As crianças que estudavam no período matutino apresentaram redução do tempo total de sono, tinham sono mais cedo e os cochilos eram mais freqüentes do que as crianças que estudavam no período vespert i n o . C o n c l u s ã o: O horário escolar tem muita influência nos hábitos de sono das crianças brasileiras da cidade de São Paulo, os rituais de sono sendo muito prevalentes.

Napping: A public health issue. From epidemiological to laboratory studies

“…The authors suggested that it is probably a compensation for sleep deprivation, as these children had a shorter TST vs. children studying the afternoon. 87 Moreover, in children aged 5-9 years, a significant increase in subjective sleepiness level and decreased performance at complex tasks (Go/No GO tasks) were reported in the beginning of the afternoon (2pm-4pm). 88 Nap deprivation studies have mostly concerned children older than 2 years of age.…”

Sleep–Wake Cycle, Daytime Sleepiness, and Attention Components in Children Attending Preschool in the Morning and Afternoon Shifts

“…It was observed that most of the children co‐slept and engaged in bedtime rituals regardless of the shift in which they studied. Thus, school start time did not change these behaviors, probably because they are part of family dynamics that increase child–parent interactions (Beltramini & Hertzig, ; Buckley, Rigda, Mundy, & McMillen, ; Silva et al, ).…”

“…This shows that children who studied in the morning slept less at night than those from the afternoon shift, but they seemed to compensate this deprivation by taking daily naps. These results corroborate those observed by Silva et al (), who reported that 7‐ to 10‐year‐old children who studied in the morning took more naps than those who studied in the afternoon. These sleeping patterns demonstrate acute sleep deprivation during the week that is compensated by taking daily naps.…”

“…The sleep–wake cycle is influenced by a series of peculiarities in the child's social environment, such as behavior before (drinking milk, going to the bathroom, listening to stories, and use of favorite object) and during sleep (co‐sleeping or bed‐sharing). These sleep patterns change when children start school and the school start times modulate the sleep–wake cycle, which may lead to daytime sleepiness and compromise academic performance (Beltramini & Hertzig, ; Li et al, ; Reimão, Souza, Medeiros, & Almirão, ; Reimão et al, ; Silva et al, ).…”

“…Despite exhibiting a tendency to morningness, children between 3 and 10 years of age who study in the morning and wake up and go to bed earlier sleep less during the week than on the weekend (Adam, Snell, & Pendry, ; Belísio, ; El‐Sheikh, Buckhalt, Mize, & Acebo, ; Louzada et al, ; Mello, Isola, Louzada, & Menna‐Barreto, ; Silva et al, ). Moreover, children aged between 7 and 10 years who study in the morning show greater frequency of naps, in addition to sleeping approximately 1 hr more than children who study in the afternoon (Silva et al, ). Thus, children who study in the morning experience acute sleep deprivation on weekdays that is generally compensated for on weekends.…”