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Regular Bedtimes Linked to Better Language, Reading, and Math Skills in Preschool Children
Children in households with bedtime rules and children who get adequate sleep score higher on a range of developmental assessments, according to a recently presented research abstract.
Results of the research abstract that was presented at SLEEP 2010 indicate that among sleep habits, having a regular bedtime was the most consistent predictor of positive developmental outcomes at 4 years of age. Scores for receptive and expressive language, phonological awareness, literacy, and early math abilities were higher in children whose parents reported having rules about what time their child goes to bed. Having an earlier bedtime also was predictive of higher scores for most developmental measures.
"Getting parents to set bedtime routines can be an important way to make a significant impact on children's emergent literacy and language skills," said lead author Erika Gaylor, PhD, early childhood policy researcher for SRI International, an independent, nonprofit research institute in Menlo Park, Calif. "Pediatricians can easily promote regular bedtimes with parents and children, behaviors which in turn lead to healthy sleep."
Gaylor recommended that parents can help their preschooler get sufficient sleep by setting an appropriate time for their child to go to bed and interacting with their child at bedtime using routines such as reading books or telling stories.
The study involved a nationally representative sample of approximately 8,000 children who completed a direct assessment at 4 years of age as part of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Birth Cohort. This analysis included information from parent phone interviews when their child was 9 months old and again when their child was 4 years old. Nighttime sleep duration was based on parent-reported usual bedtime and wake time. Developmental outcomes were assessed using a shortened set of items from standardized assessments. Results were controlled for potential confounders such as child and bedtime characteristics.
"This is by far the largest study of its kind to date. Previous studies have included up to 500 children in this age group," Gaylor said. "It's fortunate to have this rich dataset available for analysis."
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mike on
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this study might provide support for sleep hygiene or it might just be that the kind of parents who are engaged enough in their kids lives to provide structure and discipline raise better adjusted kids.
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Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on
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As a teacher it makes a world of difference typically when a child has a set schedule for bedtime.
It is amazing sometimes (in my opinion) when we have kids coming to school and they state they didn't get to bed to the wee hours of the morning. Then they tend to doze off in class and then the parents wonder why their child isn't doing any better.
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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
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Your comment is very interesting Mike. My girls have been or are being raised in very different ways. I have noticed quite a few differences between the 2 of them. My oldest lives with her mom and they seem to have a much busier schedule with less of a routine. I do not fault her mom for this as it is just the way it has to be right now. Kylie does have a normal bedtime. It is her wake time that changes from day to day. To add to this Kylie is very involved with family and social events. She is forever on the go. I have seen a great deal of sleep problems in my oldest. These have included apnea, night terrors, sleep walking, sleep eating, transitional behavior problems, and insomnia. Kylie is a straight A student despite all of this.
My youngest lives with my wife and I. We have a more laid back lifestyle with nothing but routine. Zoey goes to bed and wakes at the same time everyday. You could set a clock by her schedule. Her vocabulary, motor skills, and overall develpopment are progressing very fast. No sleep or behavior problems as of yet. Occasionally she will wonder into our room. She is terrified of thunder. By the same age we had already begun experiencing sleep problems with Kylie. i can't help but wonder if things had been equal how they might be today.
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i wonder whether we're doing the right thing by our 8-month old Eliza... she goes to sleep pretty regularly at 10pm and wakes up around 8am. but we see our neighbors getting their babies to bed super early... like 6 or 7pm. but then the babies wake up in the middle of the night and the parents have to take care of them at 4 or 5 am, whenever they wake up. Eliza's schedule is much easier on us, but i hear that we're setting her sleep patterns up for the rest of her life and when she goes to school she'll need to go to bed earlier and wake up earlier, so maybe we're setting her up for difficulties down the road. any thoughts?
Rock Hinkle said:Your comment is very interesting Mike. My girls have been or are being raised in very different ways. I have noticed quite a few differences between the 2 of them. My oldest lives with her mom and they seem to have a much busier schedule with less of a routine. I do not fault her mom for this as it is just the way it has to be right now. Kylie does have a normal bedtime. It is her wake time that changes from day to day. To add to this Kylie is very involved with family and social events. She is forever on the go. I have seen a great deal of sleep problems in my oldest. These have included apnea, night terrors, sleep walking, sleep eating, transitional behavior problems, and insomnia. Kylie is a straight A student despite all of this.
My youngest lives with my wife and I. We have a more laid back lifestyle with nothing but routine. Zoey goes to bed and wakes at the same time everyday. You could set a clock by her schedule. Her vocabulary, motor skills, and overall develpopment are progressing very fast. No sleep or behavior problems as of yet. Occasionally she will wonder into our room. She is terrified of thunder. By the same age we had already begun experiencing sleep problems with Kylie. i can't help but wonder if things had been equal how they might be today.
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I think it sometimes depends upon the child. My oldest son has always had difficulty with his sleep patterns, even as an infant he would be awake for extended periods of time, although typically babies sleep much more than he seemed to need. It wasn't uncommon for him to be awake until the wee hours of the morning (going to bed between 1 or 2 a.m.) and waking before 6 a.m. It wasn't that he was sleeping much during the day so that wasn't a factor. To this day he has sleep issues and is the one I worry about. Still have not convinced him to get a sleep study done.
My second son went to bed early as a child and had to have his own bed -- you knew that you had better be home when it came time for him to go to bed!!!! He was in bed around 9 pm each night. He slept the whole night and was never a problem as far as sleeping goes.
Is it in each of our "wiring" as far as sleep goes? I have always need 9 or 10 hours to feel fully rested, yet, others seem to get by on far less. This has always intrigued me why the wide differences among people.
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As Carol said it is different with every person. Out of the 2 Zoey is my sleeper. up until the last couple of months she slept 12 hours a night ( 8-8) with a 2 hour nap during the day. She still takes the nap but now she goes to bed between nine and 10. Nine is our prefered bedtime for her.
With both of my girls there are signs that they are not sleeping well. Kylie will get extremely emotional if not hyper-active. I can always see sleepiness in Zoeys eyes. She will get dark circles. These circles are almost purple in color. Zoey also has the slightest of snores. As soon as I think she will allow it I will have a study done. As a tech I have spent a few nights next to my girl's beds just listening.
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Is it in each of our "wiring" as far as sleep goes?
I believe it is Carol. While sleep is sleep it is never the same in 2 people. Always a little different. I call the EEG the fingerprints of the brain. I tell my pts that there is no such thing as normal sleep in general. Normal for you may be a rough night for me and vice versa. To me there is only good sleep and bad sleep.
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i think if there hasn't been a study examining the people who claim they can get by well on 3 or 4 hours sleep, then there should be so that we can figure out what makes these people tick. heck, maybe once they find out what it is that enables them to get a good night's sleep of such short duration, they can bottle it and sell it.
Rock Hinkle said:Is it in each of our "wiring" as far as sleep goes?
I believe it is Carol. While sleep is sleep it is never the same in 2 people. Always a little different. I call the EEG the fingerprints of the brain. I tell my pts that there is no such thing as normal sleep in general. Normal for you may be a rough night for me and vice versa. To me there is only good sleep and bad sleep.
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Permalink Reply by Banyon on
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I have been conditioned to think along the lines of the article.
Just at lunch today, I met a friend at a local deli. There was a two or three year-old in there that filled up the deli with his screams and shouts the whole time we were there. I told my friend, "I bet the damn parents are not making sure the poor kid gets enough sleep."
My wife believed from day one that our kids needed excellent sleep hygiene and plentiful nightly sleep. She enforced her beliefs. My kids behaved nearly perfectly and did very well in school. I can remember taking them to fine restaurants and church at very early ages. They sat so quietly through things they had zero interest in and it was often that strangers came up to us and complemented the kids.
I, on the other hand, went all the years sleep-deprived due to undiagnosed SDB, and misbehaved everywhere we went. :)
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The short sleep gene is rare. People tell me all the time that they can get by on 4-6 hours of sleep. I always tell them to do it for 2 weeks straight with no sleeping in. No one has ever made it. Most people get limited sleep during the week only to catch up on the weekend.
Mike said:i think if there hasn't been a study examining the people who claim they can get by well on 3 or 4 hours sleep, then there should be so that we can figure out what makes these people tick. heck, maybe once they find out what it is that enables them to get a good night's sleep of such short duration, they can bottle it and sell it.
Rock Hinkle said:Is it in each of our "wiring" as far as sleep goes?
I believe it is Carol. While sleep is sleep it is never the same in 2 people. Always a little different. I call the EEG the fingerprints of the brain. I tell my pts that there is no such thing as normal sleep in general. Normal for you may be a rough night for me and vice versa. To me there is only good sleep and bad sleep.
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