Abstract
Sleep is essential for optimal child and adolescent health, development, and academic performance. Lifestyle habits significantly influence child and adolescent sleep regulation, conferring either positive or negative effects on the attainment of sufficient and high-quality sleep. The primary objective of this paper is, thus, to review the lifestyle factors which may disrupt a child’s sleep, on the one hand, and support healthy sleep, on the other. Lifestyle factors that have been found to negatively affect children and adolescents’ sleep include: 1) exposure to modern technologies (e.g., television, computer and video games) leading to increased light exposure and night-time arousal; 2) consumption of wake-promoting substances, such as caffeine, that affect the physiological regulation of arousal and sleep; 3) consumption of late-evening meals; 4) aspects of the physical environment (e.g., air quality) that hinder sleep; and 4) cultural norms that place a low priority on sleep. Despite the negative impact of such factors on youths’ sleep, such aspects are modifiable and can be easily targeted by simple and inexpensive interventions designed to promote healthy and sufficient sleep. This review offers several strategies to guide families in modifying unhealthy sleep habits and promoting refreshing, high-quality sleep.
Highlights
Strong evidence indicates that sleep is extremely important to youth’s health and success
The lifestyle factors that have been shown to affect the sleep regulation of children and adolescents include: modern technologies that cause light exposure and stimulate night-time arousal; consumption of wake-promoting substances that affect the physiological regulation of arousal and sleep; meal times; aspects of the physical environment that hinder sleep; and cultural norms that place a low priority on sleep
Children can have busy schedules, as they are often enrolled in multiple extracurricular activities and attend late-ending social, sporting and school events that contribute to delayed bedtimes and short sleep durations
Summary
Strong evidence indicates that sleep is extremely important to youth’s health and success. Despite the very strong evidence indicating the importance of sleep, the sleep duration of children and adolescents has declined over time [16]. Process C is directly affected by environmental cues (see below for details), so the environment has a potent impact on sleep. This could be used to shape optimal sleep patterns, but if not cued properly, environmental factors can create poor sleep patterns [25]. Certain habits and environmental conditions, such as light exposure, meal times or engaging in stimulating activities, can affect the circadian and homeostatic sleep processes. J Sleep Disorders Ther 2: 130. doi:10.4172/2167-0277.1000130 nighttime arousal, and disrupt and shorten sleep; and 2) review lifestyle habits that support healthy sleep and introduce strategies to modify the habits that negatively impact sleep
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