A new study that will be published in the November issue of Pediatrics showed that children without regular bedtime routines were more likely to experience behavioral issues such as frequent fighting, reports the Toronto Star.  They also found that these children are generally more emotional or withdrawn.  Researchers also found that those behaviors tend to become more consistent as children get older, showing that it was possible to reverse the effects of the irregular sleep patterns.  In general, the children with the most irregular bedtimes were three years old, with nearly one-fifth of children going to sleep at irregular times, while only 9.1 percent had irregular bedtimes at age 5 and 8.2 percent at age 7.

This research built on findings from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), a multi-disciplinary research project following the lives of approximately 19,000 children born in the UK between 2000 and 2001.  This is the most recent iteration of Britain’s longitudinal birth cohort studies. MCS has been tracking these children through their early childhood years and plans to follow them into adulthood.  The study also collects information on the children’s siblings and parents, and covers topics including parenting, schooling decisions, behavior of the child, cognitive development, health of the child and parents, housing situation, education and employment of the parents, and socioeconomic status.

Sleep is an important part of mental and physical well-being, reports the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.  Studies have shown that continuously getting inadequate amounts of sleep can lead to higher risks for kidney disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and obesity.  It is important to ensure adequate sleep in order to support brain functioning and emotional well-being, both necessary for enhancing daytime performance.

The lack of a regular bedtime could be affecting the circadian rhythms.  The American Academy of Sleep Disorders identifies a number of conditions that can disturb the circadian rhythm.  For example, delayed sleep phase disorder results in going to sleep at least two hours later and waking up later in the morning.  The opposite condition, advanced sleep phase disorder, results in going to sleep and waking up several hours earlier.  Finally, irregular sleep-wake rhythm is a general term that refers to any undefined disturbance in the rhythm.  Children without regular bedtimes may be suffering from the latter condition.  A previous National Monitor article identified that a number of natural and manmade factors affect sleep cycles, meaning there are a variety of interventions parents can use to improve the quality of their children’s sleep.