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Sleep quantity, quality and optimism in children
Author(s) -
LEMOLA SAKARI,
RÄIKKÖNEN KATRI,
SCHEIER MICHAEL F.,
MATTHEWS KAREN A.,
PESONEN ANUKATRIINA,
HEIN KATI,
LAHTI JARI,
KOMSI NIINA,
PAAVONEN JUULIA E.,
KAJANTIE EERO
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of sleep research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.297
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2869
pISSN - 0962-1105
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2869.2010.00856.x
Subject(s) - optimism , sleep (system call) , psychology , sleep quality , sleep onset latency , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , medicine , demography , psychiatry , insomnia , social psychology , computer science , operating system , sociology
Summary We tested the relationship of objectively measured sleep quantity and quality with positive characteristics of the child. Sleep duration, sleep latency and sleep efficiency were measured by an actigraph for an average of seven (range = 3–14) consecutive nights in 291 8‐year‐old children (standard deviation = 0.3 years). Children’s optimism, self‐esteem and social competence were rated by parents and/or teachers. Sleep duration showed a non‐linear, reverse J‐shaped relationship with optimism ( P = 0.02), such that children with sleep duration in the middle of the distribution scored higher in optimism compared with children who slept relatively little. Shorter sleep latency was related to higher optimism ( P = 0.01). The associations remained when adjusting for child’s age, sex, body mass index, and parental level of education and optimism. In conclusion, sufficient sleep quantity and good sleep quality are related to children’s positive characteristics. Our findings may inform why sleep quantity and quality and positive characteristics are associated with wellbeing in children.