Change of bedtimes can be disruptive

ALLOWING children to stay up late on weekends and listen to music at bed time disrupts sleep routines once they are back at school, research shows.

In the first study of its kind, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute researchers looked at the impact of a range of bedtime practices on the sleep patterns of 5000 children aged four to eight from 45 Melbourne primary schools.

They found those with the biggest sleep problems had inconsistent bed times on weekends and weekdays, and listened to an audio device before going to sleep.

The authors conclude that having more consistent bedtimes and limiting audio devices at bed time was important, especially for boys, who tended to stay up later on weekends.

Co-author Jon Quach said the gender difference “may be due to variations in leisure activities, with boys previously shown to be more likely to engage in higher usage of electronic media”.

“It is plausible that children with sleep problems are more likely to have an audio device as parents believe this an effective sleep aid by promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety,” Dr Quach said.

“Therefore, the presence of an audio device may be a marker of sleep problems rather than a cause per se”.

He said the choice of music could also be relevant.

“Research suggests classical music is associated with lower sleep problems while rock music can delay sleep,” he said.

“It is also important to acknowledge that music has been used clinically as a way to help children relax before bed, so further research is required.”

Dr Quach said schools could offer advice about sleep practices as part of health and wellbeing classes.