The children of the mother insomniac sleep more poorly

Jessica Lucia

Published the 04.09.2017 at 14: 14

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One French person out of three declares sleep disorders, and insomnia affects 16 % of the population, according to a study INSV/MGEN conducted in 2015. And it’s not just about the adults. The children are between 10 and 30% suffer from it also, according to statistics quebec.

There could be a link between the two. A swiss study from the university of Basel has shown that children of mothers suffering from insomnia are more likely to suffer in their turn.

Shorter and of lower quality

This result, published in the journal Sleep medicine, was obtained through the observation of the sleep of 200 children in good general health, between the ages of 7 to 12 years of age. Parents completed questionnaires on sleep quality of their children, as well as on their own. The data for children have been strengthened by an electroencephalogram (eeg) performed during a night, for each child.

These data showed that children whose mothers suffer from insomnia, have more difficulty falling asleep, wake up earlier, and sleep so less time. They spend more time in a state of light sleep than the other.

Assess the family context

“These results are significant because the sleep in children is essential for the well-being and development,” said Dr. Sakari Lemola, specialist in developmental psychology at the university of Warwick (United Kingdom), and one of the authors of the study. The development of the brain and cognitive depends strongly of the quality of the sleep during the childhood years.

“The sleep of children must be considered in the context of the family,” he continues. In particular, the sleep of the mothers seems to have an impact on the way in which sleep the children in age to go to school. “