Insufficient sleep, short daytime nap, and daytime functioning in school-aged children

Abstract

Adequate sleep is vital for one’s physical and psychological health. It is essential for optimal development and learning in school-aged children. To investigate the effects of insufficient sleep on daytime functioning and whether napping could be a possible countermeasure for insufficient sleep in children, the present thesis conducted two studies: Study 1 was a cross-sectional study to examine the association of sleep with neurobehavioural functioning and daytime behaviours in school-aged children. Study 2 was a naturalistic experimental study conducted in a local primary school in Hong Kong to examine the effects of a short daytime nap on cognitive performance and daytime behaviours in students.

Study 1: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the children in a local primary school using parent-report questionnaires and computerized tasks. This study aimed to assess the relationship between sleep and both daytime behaviours and cognitive functioning, including sustained attention, short-term memory, and inhibitory control. The results indicated that children with parent-report insufficient sleep had poorer short-term memory performance, more daytime sleepiness, more ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) symptoms, and more emotional problems, as compared with children with sufficient sleep.

Study 2: This naturalistic experimental study was to examine the effects of a short daytime nap in school-aged children. Children from Study 1 were invited to take part in this study and were randomly assigned to either nap group (20 minutes of nap opportunity daily during school days) or no-nap group on a class basis. Participants completed the same measures as Study 1 before and after the first napping session, after two weeks of nap intervention, and after two months of nap intervention. The results showed a beneficial effect of napping on children’s inhibitory control ability after one brief napping session and short-term memory after two months of intervention, whilst no significant effects on daytime behaviours were found.

In conclusion, insufficient sleep was shown to have negative impacts on cognitive functioning and daytime behaviours in school-aged children. The current findings suggested that providing a brief napping opportunity to school-aged children might be a promising approach to ameliorate the effects of insufficient sleep on cognitive performance. Further longitudinal follow-up is needed to examine the long-term effects of napping on children’s daytime behaviours.