Sleep in 6 to 11-year-olds. A longitudinal study in schoolchildren

Although school is commonly thought to cause tiredness, few data are availa ble on sleep in 6- to 11-year-olds. A total of 288 children in an elementar y school in Strasbourg, France, completed a questionnaire at school on nine consecutive days in January, March, and May. The questionnaire items speci fied the time the children went to bed, the time they woke up, how easily t hey fell asleep, how well they slept, and what they did in the evenings. Re sults showed that sleep duration declined from January to May. Total sleep time was often too short, primarily because of a late bedtime, particularly toward the end of the week. Also, total sleep time varied from day to day. Quality of sleep was sometimes suboptimal as a result of physical or emoti onal discomfort. These data indicate a pressing need for parental education on the amount, regularity, and quality of sleep that are optimal in childr en.