Delayed weekend sleep pattern in German infants and children aged 0–6 years

Abstract

In this study, parents of pre-school children (0–6 years) answered an online questionnaire (444 girls, 447 boys). Children's bedtimes are earlier before weekdays and later before weekend days, and this difference becomes greater with age suggesting an increasing social jet lag at an early developmental stage. Half of the children have a sleep-onset latency of 15 min or shorter. When asked for children's optimal wake/bedtimes, parents would prefer later weekend rise times but earlier bedtimes both during the week and the weekend. Weekday rise times are determined by bedtimes during the week, awakening of children, parents’ schedule and working hours per week. Bedtimes are determined by daytime napping, parental setting of bedtimes, and parental efforts for earlier bedtimes, parental efforts for regular bedtimes and by parental age. Chronotype changes and misalignment occurs at an early developmental stage, suggesting that parental influence exists and has an impact on the sleep–wake cycle (e.g. delaying of bedtimes at the weekend). We encourage parents to maintain a stable bedtime to avoid misalignment.

Keywords:

• children
• chronotype
• parental monitoring
• sleep–wake cycle
• social jet lag