Characteristics and Transition of Sleep-Wake Rhythm in Nursery School Children: The Importance of Nocturnal Sleep.

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the sleep-wake rhythm of nursery school children with the aim of supporting their health and mental/physical development. We analyzed 4881 children from infancy to 6 years of age, using 2 week sleep tables recorded by their guardians. The tables contained night bedtimes, wake times, nighttime/daytime sleep duration, and the differences in these between weekdays and weekends. The total sleep decrement of children with increasing age is attributed to a decrease in daytime sleep, while nighttime sleep duration remains almost unchanged at about 10 h, which is, therefore, referred to as the nighttime basic sleep duration (NBSD). Although bedtime stabilizes at around 9:30 p.m. by the age of 2, wake-up times tend to be before 7 a.m., which results in sleep insufficiency during weekdays. This lack of sleep is compensated for by long naps on weekdays and by catching up on sleep on weekend mornings, which may contribute to future social jet lag. Guardians are encouraged to know their children's exact NBSD and set an appropriate bedtime to be maintained on weekdays. This helps to prevent sleep debt and fosters a consistent daily rhythm of waking up at the same time both on weekdays and weekends. These conditions are believed to support mental/physical development and school and social adaptation.