Mezzofranco Luca, Agostini Ludovica, Boutarbouche Ayoub, Melato Sofia, Zalunardo Francesca, Franco Anna, Gracco Antonio
Department of Neurosciences, University of Padua, Via Giustiniani 2, 35122 Padova, Italy.
Children (Basel). 2025 Apr 10;12(4):489. doi: 10.3390/children12040489.
Sleep is a crucial physiological process for cognitive, emotional, and physical development during childhood. Despite its importance, a significant percentage of school-aged children experience sleep disturbances, which can impact academic performance and overall well-being. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate sleep habits and disorders in children aged 6-13 years, identifying issues such as difficulties falling asleep, frequent awakenings, and parasomnias, as well as their correlations with daytime consequences. A structured questionnaire, based on the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC), was administered to 100 parents of school-aged children. The sample included participants without diagnosed neurological disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, or chronic illnesses interfering with sleep. The data were statistically analyzed to assess the frequency and severity of sleep disturbances and their correlations with daytime symptoms. Although most children (44.1%) slept 8-9 h per night, 32.4% exhibited bedtime resistance, and 29.4% had difficulty falling asleep. Common sleep disturbances included occasional snoring (44.1%), bruxism (11.8%), morning fatigue (41.2%), and daytime sleepiness (15.2%). Additionally, 23.5% of the children experienced confusion upon waking. The analysis also revealed a correlation between sleep fragmentation and mood alterations or cognitive difficulties. The study confirms the high prevalence of sleep disorders in pediatric populations, emphasizing the need for routine screening during clinical check-ups. Educational interventions on sleep hygiene practices-such as reducing evening screen exposure-and school policies that align with pediatric circadian rhythms could mitigate negative effects. The lack of objective measures such as actigraphy and polysomnography is a limitation, highlighting the need for integrated approaches in future studies. A multidisciplinary approach is essential to optimizing sleep health and overall child development.
睡眠是儿童认知、情感和身体发育过程中的一个关键生理过程。尽管其很重要，但仍有相当比例的学龄儿童存在睡眠障碍，这可能会影响学业成绩和整体幸福感。这项横断面研究旨在调查6至13岁儿童的睡眠习惯和障碍，识别入睡困难、频繁觉醒和异态睡眠等问题，以及它们与日间后果的相关性。基于儿童睡眠障碍量表（SDSC）编制了一份结构化问卷，对100名学龄儿童的家长进行了调查。样本包括未被诊断患有神经系统疾病、神经发育障碍或干扰睡眠的慢性疾病的参与者。对数据进行了统计分析，以评估睡眠障碍的频率和严重程度及其与日间症状的相关性。虽然大多数儿童（44.1%）每晚睡8至9小时，但32.4%的儿童表现出就寝抗拒，29.4%的儿童存在入睡困难。常见的睡眠障碍包括偶尔打鼾（44.1%）、磨牙症（11.8%）、早晨疲劳（41.2%）和日间嗜睡（15.2%）。此外，23.5%的儿童醒来时会感到困惑。分析还揭示了睡眠片段化与情绪改变或认知困难之间的相关性。该研究证实了儿科人群中睡眠障碍的高患病率，强调了在临床检查期间进行常规筛查的必要性。关于睡眠卫生习惯的教育干预措施，如减少夜间屏幕暴露，以及与儿童昼夜节律相适应的学校政策，可能会减轻负面影响。缺乏诸如活动记录仪和多导睡眠图等客观测量方法是一个局限性，这突出了未来研究采用综合方法的必要性。多学科方法对于优化睡眠健康和儿童整体发育至关重要。
