Elsevier

Sleep Medicine

Volume 101, January 2023, Pages 50-57
Sleep Medicine

Impact of COVID-19 on the sleep-wake patterns of preschool children

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2022.10.012Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Hong Kong preschoolers had a delayed sleep/wake schedule during COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Preschoolers' daytime sleep was decreased while nocturnal sleep duration was increased.

  • Parental sleep/wake schedule was also delayed during the pandemic with an increase in maternal nocturnal sleep duration.

  • Children's sleep habits were affected most by the mothers' sleep/wake patterns and screen time.

Abstract

Objective

To explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sleep-wake patterns of preschool children.

Methods

A cohort of preschoolers established before the COVID-19 pandemic was invited to participate in this study. Data including children's demographics, their own and parental sleep-wake patterns, physical activities, and screen time were collected through an online questionnaire from August to September 2020. A comparison was made on the collected data from the same cohort of children before and during the pandemic.

Results

The cohort which was established before the pandemic consisted of 3720 preschoolers. For this current study, 642 (17%) participated, and 497 (13%) children who fulfilled the eligibility criteria were included in the final analysis. They showed a delay in their bedtime and wake time on both weekdays and weekends with a 15–30 min increase in nocturnal sleep duration. However, with a reduction in nap time, the average daily sleep duration was shortened by 16.3 ± 64.3 min (p < 0.001) and 27.5 ± 72.9 min (p < 0.001) during weekdays and weekends, respectively. Screen time was increased while outdoor activity duration was decreased. Parental sleep/wake times were also delayed with an increase in sleep duration. Children's sleep habits were associated with screen time and parental sleep/wake patterns.

Conclusion

Despite school suspension during the COVID-19 pandemic, preschoolers were not sleeping longer. Screen time and parental sleep/wake patterns were the major factors driving the preschoolers' sleep habits. Health education is required to control screen time in children and to promote sleep hygiene among all family members.

Keywords

Preschooler
Sleep-wake pattern
COVID-19
Screen time
School suspension

Cited by (0)

1

Joint first authors.

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