Sex differences in childhood sleep and health implications

Abstract

Context

Sleep is critical for optimal childhood metabolic health and neurodevelopment. However, there is limited knowledge regarding childhood sex differences in sleep, including children with neurodevelopmental disorders, and the impact of such differences on metabolic health.

Objective

To evaluate if sex differences in childhood sleep exist and if sleep associates with metabolic health outcomes equally by sex. Using autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as a case study, we also examine sleep sex differences in children with a neurodevelopmental disorder.

Methods

A narrative review explored the literature focussing on sex differences in childhood sleep.

Results

Sex differences in sleep were not detected among pre-adolescents. However, female adolescents were more likely to report impaired sleep than males. Childhood obesity is more common in males. Shorter sleep duration may be associated with obesity in male pre-adolescents/adolescents; although findings are mixed. ASD is male-predominant; yet, there was an indication that pre-adolescent female children with ASD had more impaired sleep.

Conclusion

Sex differences in sleep appear to emerge in adolescence with more impaired sleep in females. This trend was also observed among pre-adolescent female children with ASD. Further research is needed on sex differences in childhood sleep and metabolic health and the underlying mechanisms driving these differences.

Keywords:

• Sleep
• sex
• paediatrics
• autism spectrum disorder
• obesity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (S.D.E.S.: NIH/NHLBI T32HL07713, T.H.: NIH/NIDDK 5T32DK063688-17, and J.A.M.: NIH/NHLBI K01HL123612).