Sleep Disorders in Children Are Linked with Body Size

A recent study in Sleep reveals the interrelations between the size of a child’s body and his or her sleep efficiency. It appears that the smaller the child, the greater the risk of sleep disorders developing in future.

Birth size, the study says, is in direct dependence on the development of the nervous system. A smaller child was discovered to be more prone to having breath difficulties during sleep which will lead to disturbed sleep and maybe nightmares in later life.

Lead researcher Anu-Katriina Pesonen is sure about the dependence of good sleep on the weight and length of the child at birth. “We showed that even within children born healthy and at-term gestation, smaller body size at birth increases the risk for poor sleep.”

The birth size of the child is mostly governed by the genetic factor, but the child may be born smaller for several other reasons, including prenatal drinking even in moderate quantities and chronic depression.

No connection between prenatal smoking and sleep disturbances in the child has been discovered.

Source of the image: sxc.hu/profile/bonesdog.