Future Directions for Research on Sleep Durations in Pediatric Populations

Abstract

IN THIS ISSUE OF SLEEP, OLDS AND COLLEAGUES1 PROVIDE VALUABLE DATA REGARDING SELF-REPORTED SLEEP DURATION IN CROSS-SECTIONS OF Australian children between ages 10 and 18 years. The authors demonstrate the steady decline in sleep duration with age and document differences in sleep duration by day of the week, season, region, and sex. This study adds to the growing body of literature documenting patterns of self-reported sleep duration across populations, as well as changes with age during childhood.2,3 Studies such as these are useful to track changes in sleep duration within populations over time, to identify inter-group differences in sleep duration, and to generate hypotheses about ideal sleep durations and influences on sleep duration. These types of studies provide support for the impression that sleep duration within some pediatric populations is declining,2 and therefore provide an impetus for public health interventions that target improving sleep. These types of studies also, however, highlight a number of important gaps in our current knowledge that frame a research agenda in the coming years.