Good sleep keeps the children fuss-free and happy. But can variations in sleep schedules affect their behavior? Researchers have found that regular sleep patterns influence children's behavior and attitude more than the duration or quality of sleep.
The latest study, published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, revealed that children with consistent sleep schedules have better control of their emotions and behavior when they work with others or are under stress.
"Children who had consistent bedtimes were generally able to regulate their behavior and emotions. On the other hand, children whose bedtimes and sleep times were all over the place showed more impulsivity and less control," Adwoa Dadzie, who led the study said in a news release.
The researchers tracked sleep and behavior data from 143 six-year-old children participating in the Penn State Intervention Nurses Start Infants Growing on Healthy Trajectories (INSIGHT) study. Using wrist-worn monitors, they recorded various aspects of the children's sleep, including bedtime, wake time, sleep midpoint, sleep efficiency, and total sleep duration.
The researchers also assessed each child's response to frustration using a task where the child's chosen toy was placed in a locked, clear box. The child was given a set of keys, none of which could unlock the box. Behavioral responses, including self-regulated behaviors like self-talk, methodically trying each key, and signs of frustration or lack of self-regulation were observed and recorded. After four minutes, the researchers returned with a working key and allowed the child to access the toy.
In another task, children worked on a craft project with their parents, allowing researchers to observe cooperative behaviors. Positive interactions, such as sharing and teamwork, were noted as signs of prosocial behavior, while actions like destroying craft supplies or talking back to parents indicated antisocial tendencies.
"Results showed that the more a child's bedtime varied each night, the worse they regulated their behavior and emotions," the news release stated.
Kids whose bedtime varied less, say, 20 minutes, showed more self-regulation than those whose bedtime varied by two hours across the week.
"Findings support the importance of consistency in sleep timing and how this may play a greater role in children's behavioral and emotional outcomes than mean actigraphic sleep duration and quality," the researchers concluded.
