A new study by the scientists at Pennsylvania State University, finds that children who take a nap when they are 4 and 5 years old, are less likely to be hyperactive or experience depression and anxiety.

The results of the study revealed that parents or caregivers of kids between the ages of 4 and 5 years, who discontinued to take daytime naps, reported that their offspring showed higher levels of hyperactivity, anxiety and depression, compared to their counterparts who still continued to nap at this point of their lives. In their research, the investigators were happy to demonstrate the potential importance of taking naps for optimal daytime functioning in young kids, as napping is often overlooked in favor of nighttime or total sleep.

It all depends on every individual case and variability in when children are ready not to take naps anymore, said a principal author of the study, Dr. Brian Crosby, postdoctoral fellow of psychology at Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Crosby added that he would suggest that parents included a quiet 'rest' time in the daily schedule of their children, that, in turn, would allow kids to nap if needed.

For the study purposes, the experts gathered data from 62 children between the ages of 4 and 5 years. All the kids were classified as either ones who took naps - 77 per cent, or the ones who did not take naps - 23 per cent, based on actigraphy data.

Actigraphy data for each child who took part in the study, was collected continuously for 7 days to 14 days. Children who took naps did so an average of 3.4 days on a weekle basis. Of all the participants, 55 per cent were white-non-Hispanic children and 53 per cent were boys. Parents and caregivers were asked to provide information on their child's typical weekday and weekend bedtime and rise time, as well as their napping patterns, family demographics, and also had to complete a behavioral assessment of the child.

Dr. Crosby is hopeful that the new findings will encourage caregivers and other investigators to examine the ways in which napping influences daytime functioning in children, as an optimal age to stop taking naps has not yet been determined.

The findings of the study were presented June 8, at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, in Seattle.

Tags: Sleep, Pediatrics, Child Psychology

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