Fatigue, learning difficulties, lack of concentration, poor school results… These side effects seem symptomatic of a lack of sleep. But they can also result in going to bed at irregular times. A new study from University College London, published in the specialist journal Pediatrics points to this problem, which is sometimes underestimated by parents. A child who goes to bed at varying times daily has a condition comparable to jet-lag, which is detrimental to its future development.
Indeed, these changes in bedtime disrupt the circadian rhythm, the alternation between wakefulness and sleep. However, this chronobiological upheaval
is permanently imprinted on the body. Uneven sunsets increase the risk of hyperactivity, behavioral and communication disorders.
The researchers made this observation by comparing the rhythms of 10,000 British children. Bedtime at ages 3.5 and 7 as well as reports from mothers and teachers about behavioral problems were taken into account, reports Santé log.
A regular bedtime to be good at reading
The study points out that irregular hours are evident from the age of 3. At that age, nearly two in ten children go to bed at irregular hours. Variable sunsets are most numerous at the age of 7 and more likely concern toddlers from a disadvantaged background.
This new study confirms the findings of a publication in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health last July. She observed that children who do not go to bed at the same time have poorer math scores, reading and locating in space that children sleep “regularly”.
