NEWS RELEASE
November 11 2002
Sleep disorders put kids behind at
school
Chronic
sleep disorders are a major problem for 35 - 40 per cent of school
children over the age of six, a University of South Australia study shows.
Alarmingly,
many parents think that it is normal for their children not to sleep
through the night after the pre-school years, according to sleep
psychologist and researcher, Ms Sarah Blunden, from UniSA’s Centre for
Sleep Research.
“If
children after the age of six still wake up a lot at night or need parents
to put them to sleep, and it happens on a regular basis, it becomes a
sleep disorder that can lead to insufficient sleep and subsequently
learning difficulties, poor academic performance, impaired memory and
behavioural problems,” Blunden
said.
The
study of more than 800 children from Adelaide’s northern suburbs was the
first detailed systematic sleep measurement study in Australia to focus
not only on children’s snoring, but chronic disorders of initiating and
maintaining sleep, including nightmares, night terrors, sleep walking and
talking, and teeth grinding.
Blunden
teamed up with the Northern Division of Adelaide General Practitioners to
study the sleep patterns of children in the community who had not been
assessed by GPs for sleep problems.
“We
surveyed children and parents to get information about six different
groups of sleep disorders and conducted neuropsychological tests of
memory, attention, intelligence and behaviour.
“We
found that a subgroup of children who snored or suffered from other sleep
disorders had more behavioural problems, some had lower IQs and poorer
performance levels on attention and memory tests than children without
sleeping problems. Snorers had the lowest intelligence levels and
attention span while children who had other sleep disorders exhibited much
worse behaviour and memory performance than snorers, Blunden said.
Snoring
can suggest difficulties with breathing while sleeping. When severe,
snoring can obstruct the airway, resulting in reduced levels of oxygen to
the body. In severe cases of snoring, or obstructive sleep apnea,
breathing stops, oxygen levels drop and the snorer wakes up with an
accelerated heartbeat. Lack of oxygen can cause neurological changes to
the brain that affect problem solving and learning ability as well as
heart problems associated with high blood pressure, while snoring at all
levels results in restless sleep.
“Based
on adult literature, it is said that snoring has to be fairly severe for
adults to show deficits. We are finding that with children this is not the
case. Even children who are very mild snorers (snoring once or twice a
week) are showing some deficits. When children have fragmented sleep for
whatever reason, they are potentially in deficit,” Blunden said.
In
previous UniSA studies of children referred to the Women’s and
Children’s Hospital for assessment of snoring,
all improved after having tonsils or adenoids removed, even very mild
snorers. Their snoring stopped or was greatly reduced, they slept better
and their performance at school improved.
“Other
studies have shown that children who snored between the ages of two and
six, when this is most prevalent, and had no treatment, still did not fare
as well as their non-snoring peers when interviewed at age 16. Even some
who had been treated were below average in performance levels. This
suggests that some injuries caused by oxygen deprivation may not be
completely reversible, which is serious.
“We
found that children with sleep disorders who go to school tired can’t
concentrate, become inattentive, disruptive and restless because they need
to stay awake, and may even move into the hyperactive range of behaviours,
unable to control emotions, becoming aggressive and withdrawn.
“Children
who don’t have a regular bedtime, want parents to be with them when they
go to sleep, or don’t like sleeping in the dark,
may be helped with psychological guidelines such as changing the
children’s or family’s behaviour, getting children to bed at the right
time, not exciting them before they go to bed and not allowing them to
watch violent movies. Where there is household, financial or emotional
stress, psychologists can help if family members are able to express their
problems.”
If
we can examine children with sleep disorders, both
behavioural and medical streams can be very easily identified and treated,
according to Blunden.
“The biggest problem is that
community awareness is very poor. Children’s sleeping disorders are
being missed in 80 per cent of cases, with parents either not reporting
them or doctors not picking them up,”
Blunden said.
UniSA’s sleep psychologists are the
first group in Australia to join respiratory physicians (Women’s and
Children’s Hospital), and GPs (Northern Division), in particular Chris
Seiboth, Bernie Lorenzen and R Balendran, in studying children’s sleep.
“I strongly believe that in partnership with education, community health
and research bodies, we can increase community awareness of children’s
sleep disorders. We hope to secure funding to screen children in schools
for sleep disorders and implement a sleep smart education package
that emphasizes the importance of sleep for children to learn and function
properly. I am also passionate about establishing a children’s sleep
research referral centre to advance this new science and to improve
children’s learning outcomes.”
Media
contact: Geraldine Hinter (08) 8302 0963 or 0417 861832
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