A study has found a small but consistent association between increased television viewing and shorter sleep duration in children. The study followed more than 1,800 children from ages 6 months to nearly 8 years.
The presence of a television in the room where a child sleeps also was associated with less sleep, particularly in minority children. Investigators from MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC) and Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) report their results - the first to examine the connection between television and sleep duration over several years - in the May issue of Pediatrics.
Ageing and Sleep
Sleep is a barometer of good health in the elderly. Sleep problems in the elderly are controlled by various external and internal factors.
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The study participants, children and their mothers, were enrolled in Project Viva, a long-term investigation of the health effects of several factors during pregnancy and after birth. This study analyzed information - reported by mothers when the children were around 6 months old and then annually for the next seven years - regarding how much time each day infants were in a room where a television was on, how much time older children watched television daily, whether children ages 4 to 7 slept in a room where a TV was present and their child's average daily amount of sleep.
The study revealed that, over the course of the study, each additional hour of television viewing was associated with 7 fewer minutes of sleep daily, with the effects appearing to be stronger in boys than in girls. Racial and ethnic minority children were much more likely to sleep in a room where a television was present, and among those children, the presence of a bedroom television reduced average sleep around a half-hour per day.
The study authors note their results support previous short-term studies finding that both television viewing and sleeping in a room with a television decrease total sleep time, which can have negative effects on both mental and physical health.
Source: Eurekalert
The study authors note their results support previous short-term studies finding that both television viewing and sleeping in a room with a television decrease total sleep time, which can have negative effects on both mental and physical health.
Source: Eurekalert
Sleep Disorder : Restless Legs Syndrome
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) causes - An urge to move, usually due to uncomfortable sensations that occur primarily in the legs.
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 Periodic Limb Movement DisorderPeriodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) is a sleep disorder which causes repetitive cramping or jerking of the legs, resulting in disturbance of sleep. | Advertisement
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