Sleep Behaviour in a Sample of Preschool Children in Singapore

Abstract

Introduction: Sleep problems are common in all ages, but may be particularly acute in urban Singapore. This study aims to describe the sleep behaviour of, and to identify any sleep problems in, preschool children. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 372 children attending local childcare centers. The questionnaire was based on the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), a validated parent-report sleep screening questionnaire that contains 54 items identifying sleep behaviours in children. Results: A total of 372 (40.0%) children participated. The mean age was 4.1 (SD 1.3) years (range, 2 to 6 years). Average total sleep duration was 10.8 hours (SD 1.1) with average night-time sleep duration of 8.5 hours (SD 0.6) and average nap duration of 1.6 hours (SD 1.0). Co-sleeping was common; 80.9% of children shared a room with someone else. The most common sleep problems were in the domains of sleep resistance and morning behaviour; namely: requiring company to fall asleep (n = 272, 73.1%), being afraid to sleep alone (n = 228, 61.6%) and difficulty in waking up (n = 165, 44.4%). Among parents, 84.1 % (n = 313) perceived that their child’s sleep duration was adequate. Conclusion: The duration of sleep in the Singaporean preschool population sampled is significantly lower than recommended values and that of previously described Caucasian populations. Parental perception of sleep adequacy deviates from current recommendations. Given the clear relation of sleep duration with cognitive functioning, learning, and physical growth, this sleep deprivation should be addressed with parental education and opportunistic screening of sleep in well-child follow-ups. Key words: Co-sleeping, Sleep duration, Sleep resistance