Children at verge of mental health risk?

Children who do not get enough sleep are at higher risk of developing mental health issues, finds new study by researchers at Norwegian University.

Researchers of  Norwegian University of Science and Technology and the University of Bergen, Norway, conducted new study.

The study that looked at 799 children, followed from the age of 6 to 12 years over viewed sleep patterns of children.

Every two years, the children asked to wear an accelerometer, 24 hours a day over a seven-day period to track their movement.

Interviewed on more than one occasion to measure any mental health difficulties that they might be experiencing.

Insufficient sleep defined as sleeping less than seven hours a night on average over the seven nights.

Children Sleep Findings

The findings, published in the journal Pediatric Research, showed;

Who got the least sleep had the greatest risk of developing mental health issues.

Boys who slept the least hours had an increased risk of developing behavioral problems,

Both boys and girls who slept the least had a higher risk of future emotional problems.

“If we make sure our children get enough sleep, it can help protect them from mental health problems,” says study.

“We’re seeing an association between sleep duration and a risk of symptoms of emotional and behaviural disorders.”

“Previous studies have also shown that sleep is related to mental health difficulties.”

“But our study is one of the first to investigate this in children over several years, and to use an objective measurement of sleep,”

“Our study shows that the children who sleep fewer hours than others more often develop psychiatric symptoms, even two years later.”

According to guidelines from National Sleep Foundation (NSF),

Aged six to 13 years recommended to get nine to 11 hours of sleep a night,

However less than seven hours sleep a night “not recommended.”

The study added that Children do require difference amounts of sleep, and what is too little for one might be sufficient for another.