Napping may affect anxiety and depression

Napping may have a significant effect on young children’s levels of hyperactivity, anxiety and depression, according new research.

Results indicate that children between the ages of four and five who did not take daytime naps were reported by their parents to exhibit higher levels of hyperactivity, anxiety and depression than children who continued to nap at this age.

Previous studies have shown that poor or inadequate sleep is linked with symptoms of hyperactivity, anxiety and depression.

For this study, parents or caretakers reported their child’s typical weekday and weekend bedtime/rise time, napping patterns, family demographics, and completed a behavioural assessment of the child. Data for each child was collected continuously for seven to 14 days.

“There is a lot of individual variability in when children are ready to give up naps. I would encourage parents to include a quiet 'rest' time in their daily schedule that would allow children to nap if necessary,” said Dr Brian Crosby of Pennsylvania State University, lead author of the study.

Dr Crosby hopes that findings of this study will encourage caregivers and other researchers to look at the ways napping impacts daytime functioning in children, as an optimal age to stop napping has not yet been determined.

The results of the study were presented today at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.

[Posted: Mon 08/06/2009]