Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR), The University of Queensland, Long Pocket Precinct, 80 Meiers Rd, Indooroopilly, Queensland, 4068, Australia.
Sci Rep. 2018 Mar 14;8(1):4545. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-22555-8.
The majority of preschool children (aged 3-5 years) no longer habitually nap, yet in childcare settings daily mandated naptimes in which children lie down without alternative activity remains a common practice. Mandated naptimes are associated with observed reductions in emotional climate and increased incidence of distress. While intended to be restful, mandatory naptimes may induce stress in those children unable to sleep. To examine this possibility, we applied a 2 (mandated/flexible practice) × 2 (nap/no-nap) design to test group difference in stress responses of children (N = 43, mean age 56.3 months). Salivary cortisol level was measured at 4 time-points (waking, pre-naptime, post-naptime, and bedtime) across two days at childcare. Overall our results show a significant decline in cortisol level from wake to pre-naptime and from post-naptime to bedtime. No significant change in cortisol level was observed from pre- to post- naptime. Significant group differences in cortisol patterns were observed. Notably, children under mandatory naptime conditions who did not nap showed no significant reduction in cortisol level from post-naptime to bedtime. While cortisol measurement suggests naptime is neither stressful nor restful for children in any group, implications for bedtime arousal are raised for those unable to sleep under conditions of mandated naptimes.
大多数学龄前儿童（3-5 岁）不再习惯午睡，但在日托环境中，每天强制性的午睡时间（孩子们躺着不进行其他活动）仍然是一种常见做法。强制性午睡与观察到的情绪氛围下降和痛苦发生率增加有关。虽然午睡的目的是让孩子们休息，但对于那些无法入睡的孩子来说，强制性午睡可能会带来压力。为了检验这种可能性，我们采用了 2（强制/灵活实践）×2（午睡/无午睡）的设计，以测试儿童（N=43，平均年龄 56.3 个月）应激反应的组间差异。在两天内，在日托中心的 4 个时间点（醒来、午睡前、午睡后和睡前）测量唾液皮质醇水平。总的来说，我们的结果表明，皮质醇水平从醒来到午睡前以及从午睡后到睡前显著下降。午睡前到午睡后的皮质醇水平没有明显变化。皮质醇模式观察到显著的组间差异。值得注意的是，在强制午睡条件下不午睡的儿童，从午睡后到睡前，皮质醇水平没有明显下降。虽然皮质醇测量表明，在任何一组儿童中，午睡既没有压力也没有休息作用，但对于那些在强制午睡条件下无法入睡的儿童，对睡前觉醒的影响提出了质疑。
