THE sleep disturbances in children and in boys they are increasingly widespread and the cause could also be traced in the increasingly massive use of electronic devices. To underline it was recently one study conducted by doctors Developmental Neurology and by the researchers of Neurological and Neurosurgical diseases of the Baby Jesus together with colleagues fromSapienza University and to those of Tor Vergata.
According to the researchers, Indeed, the restrictions adopted to counter the Covid-19 pandemic have drastically increased theexposure to electronic devices in minors, involving a sharp increase in sleep disturbances.
Sleep disorders in children: the study
“We wanted to evaluate the trend of sleep disturbances but above all to understand how much it was linked to increased exposure to screens recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic – explains the doctor Romina Moavero of the Developmental Neurology of the Child Jesus. – The study was not done during the lockdown but the following year, in 2021, precisely because what we were realizing is that the lockdown has in fact triggered a general change in the lifestyle of children and young people. In fact, what has emerged is that there actually was a significant increase in the use of devices in all age groups. Surely more marked in boys but also registered in the very small. What we did was then try to correlate this data with the sleep pattern».
How the study was carried out
The study, the results of which were published in the scientific journal Sleep Medicinewas achieved by administering, between April and June 2021, 1,209 questionnaires to parents of children and adolescents aged between 2 and 18 years. Of these, 1084 were then actually used, after discarding those partially completed. The questionnaire was divided into several parts: the registry one, the one on the state of health, the one on the use of electronic devices before and during the pandemic and the specific one to evaluate sleep disorders.
The cohort was built including a large segment of the population of healthy children and young peoplebetween the ages of 2 and 18 and consisted of 569 males and 515 females. Of the 1,084 children and teenagers, 6.3% attended nursery schools, 23.5% kindergarten, 39.7% primary, 15.9% secondary, 12.9% schools high school and 1.7% were not yet educated.
Screen time has more than tripled
The study found that, compared to the pre-pandemic period, the increase in time spent in front of a screen was 68.7% overall of children and teenagers. Specifically the exposition time it has more than tripled for school reasons (from just under an hour a day to three and a half hours) and involved 72% of children and teenagers. While for recreational use the use has almost doubled (from one hour and three quarters to three hours) and concerned the 49.7% of subjects.
Sleep disorders in children: a 50% growth
To assess the presence or absence of sleep disturbances, lo was used Sleep Disturbance Scale for Childrena specific questionnaire consisting of 26 questions that allow you to evaluate sleep habits in children and adolescents. The questions include the sleep duration, difficulty falling asleep and waking up, number of times you wake up during the night, restlessness during sleepetc.
The study proved a more than 50% increase in sleep disturbances compared to the pre-pandemic period. Precisely, it has passed from 240 children and adolescents who already showed sleep disturbances before the start of the pandemic, to 367 during the pandemic: 33.9% of the whole sample, practically one in three minors.
Exposure to devices during the evening hours
“Going to study factors that contributed to the increase in sleep disturbanceswe have seen there too increased exposure to devices – underlines Dr. Moavero again – and in particular the exhibition during the evening hours, after 6 pm. It has gone from just 13.7% of children and young people who spent more than two hours in front of screens before Covid to 29.1%. A particularly significant datum given that i factors most associated with risk of onset of sleep disorder are precisely those related to time spent in front of a screen in the evening».
Sleep is crucial in this age group
“At this point electronic devices are part of both school and social life for children and teenagers, and this persists even now that we are very far from the pandemic closures – specifies the doctor. – All this does that emphasize the importance of sleep hygiene recommendations which should always be considered the first line of treatment for promote appropriate behaviors to promote good sleep in childhood and adolescence. Especially because sleep in this age group is crucial to improve learning, cognitive, scholastic and even social skills».
Sleep disorders in children: what are the risks
The consequences of a bad night’s sleep they can indeed be important.
«The area most involved is that of neurological development – explains Dr. Moavero. – LAnd cognitive abilities are reduced when you sleep little and badly. In these cases the child, rather than appearing sleepy, appears irritable, nervous, capricious. They can also appear attention and memory disorders That causes scholastic difficulties. In boys, the consequences can also lead to real psychological disorders such as increased levels of anxiety or mood deflection. Not only, even the weight can be affected. Not getting adequate sleep in fact, it also promotes weight gain».
The rules to follow
So what are the good sleep hygiene rules that parents should know?
«Regarding theuse of electronic devicesconsidering that by now exposure is practically universal, it is good at least try to eliminate it in the evening hours – suggests the expert. – As for the little ones, for example, it is good to avoid making them go to bed watching a cartoon on the tablet. In the case of teenagers, likewise, it is good prevent them from sleeping with their smartphone on the bed as happens very often».
Device apart, at a general level, for a good night’s sleep it is good to respect some precautions.
«First of all stick to a good sleep routinewhat does it mean maintain fairly regular hours, without there being too many variations from one day to the next – concludes Dr. Moavero. -And then sleep in a suitable environmentquiet, without too many lights and avoid physical activity in the evening hours as exciting foods and drinks».
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