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Dissonance Between Parent‐Selected Bedtimes and Young Children's Circadian Physiology Influences Nighttime Settling Difficulties
Author(s) -
LeBourgeois Monique K.,
Wright Kenneth P.,
LeBourgeois Hannah B.,
Jenni Oskar G.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
mind, brain, and education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.624
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1751-228X
pISSN - 1751-2271
DOI - 10.1111/mbe.12032
Subject(s) - bedtime , melatonin , chronotype , circadian rhythm , evening , psychology , sleep onset latency , audiology , sleep onset , developmental psychology , medicine , psychiatry , insomnia , neuroscience , physics , astronomy
Nighttime settling difficulties (i.e., bedtime resistance, sleep‐onset delay) occur in about 25% of young children and are associated with attentional, behavioral, and emotional problems. We examined whether the timing of internal (endogenous) circadian melatonin phase (i.e., dim light melatonin onset; DLMO ) and its relationship with parent‐selected bedtimes were related to nighttime settling behaviors. Fourteen regularly napping preschoolers (8 females; 30–36 months) participated in a 6‐day protocol (parent‐report of nighttime settling, actigraphic assessment of sleep onset latency, evening salivary DLMO ). Average DLMO clock time was 07:40 p.m. ± 00:48 minutes, occurring 29 minutes ± 32 minutes prior to bedtime (lights‐out). Children with later DLMOs had longer sleep‐onset latencies ( r = .62) and poorer success in falling asleep ( r = −.59). Children whose bedtimes were closer to their DLMO had longer sleep‐onset latencies ( r = .72) and increased bedtime resistance ( r = −.54). We conclude that dissonance between parent‐selected bedtimes and children's circadian physiology may contribute to the development of nighttime settling difficulties in early childhood.