Sleep problems linked to bullying

Announcement posted by It's My Health 07 Jun 2011

Consumer health website, www.itsmyhealth.com.au reports that children who are bullies or are aggressive or have conduct problems at school, are more likely to be sleepy during the day according to a University of Michigan Medical School study.

The researchers looked at elementary school students in Michigan public schools who had been referred for conduct discipline problems or bullying and found that they had twice the rate of symptoms for sleep-disordered breathing, particularly daytime sleepiness among these students.

The study, published in Sleep Medicine, showed that sleepiness - which could be caused by disordered breathing problems like snoring or sleep apnoea, or other factors like fragmented sleep, over stimulation from electronic devices or chaotic home environments - seemed to be the biggest driver of the behaviour problems.

Although there are other reasons for these behaviours, if sleepiness does contribute to aggressive behaviour as this study suggests, a significant proportion of bullying in children might be eliminated by efforts to improve sleep quality reduce daytime sleepiness, the researchers concluded.

It is recommended that children in pre-school should sleep between 11-13 hours a night, and school-aged children between 10-11 hours.

The full article is available at http://www.itsmyhealth.com.au/healthy-living/general-health/sleep-problems-linked-to-bullying.