 |
Developing children’s sleep-wake system and stabilizing their night-time sleep represents a significant process in early childhood. Studies show that the rate at which a child’s stable 24-hour sleep-wake rhythm is established varies greatly. Some children can seemingly fall into a comfortable pattern while others may struggle to develop a routine. There can be many reasons for this. Time cues, as well as biological and environmental factors, regulate the rhythm. Environmental factors include alternating light and darkness, sound levels, the mother-child relationship and pain.
The extent to which these factors play a role may vary significantly depending on the development of the child. In typically developing infants and toddlers, temperament, attachment classification, parental stress and maternal depression are associated with sleep problems. In atypically developing infants, sleep problems are often attributed to neurological or physical abnormalities.
Vulnerable populations, such as children who are at high risk for developmental and behavioural problems due to poverty, parental substance abuse and mental illness, or violence in the home, are doubly disadvantaged when it comes to their sleep problems. For example, a chaotic home life or neglect puts children at greater risk of developing sleep problems, while limited access to health-care services means that they are less likely to be diagnosed with sleep problems and that they will likely suffer more serious consequences as a result.
Sleeping difficulties can negatively affect children’s behaviour. Children who experience broken or insufficient sleep may be less able to inhibit their emotional responses. This may make them more prone to impulsive or violent outbursts. Sleeping and waking relate to the psychosocial development of preterm infants both directly, through effects on infant responsiveness and brain development, and indirectly, by influencing the types of social stimulation that preterm infants receive.
Some parental responses to children’s sleeping problems can have their own drawbacks. For some parents, co-sleeping, when child and parent sleep in the same bed, represents an acceptable response to their child’s sleeping difficulties. However, co-sleeping is associated with more night waking and complaints about sleep. It appears to be dependent on socio-cultural factors.
|
|