Children with insomnia more likely to remain so into adulthood

If you have problems with insomnia, it could go back to childhood. This is the finding of a recent study published in the journal Pediatrics by scientists from Penn State College of Medicine. According to the researchers, 43% of children with sleep disorders continue to suffer from them in adolescence and adulthood.

“Sleep disorders, particularly sleep apnea and insomnia, are linked to poor cardiovascular and mental health. Since up to 25% of children, 35% of teenagers and 45% of young adults suffer from symptoms of insomnia, we were interested in how these symptoms change over time as the child grows up to ‘adulthood“, Explain at PennState newspaper Professor Julio Fernandez-Mendoza, one of the authors of the study.

A follow-up over several years

To arrive at this result, the experts based themselves on children aged about 9 years in 2000. The sleep of these same children was then followed by professionals until adolescence (about 17 years old) and until in adulthood (24 years). Thus, it was possible to monitor any insomnia but also sleep apnea.

Result: the team of scientists observed that 43% of children who had insomnia continued to suffer from it, 27% of them no longer had it from adolescence and around 15% developed bouts of insomnia between adolescence and adulthood.

Insomnia, a problem not to be neglected

The researchers conclude their study by warning parents whose children suffer from insomnia: “Early sleep interventions are a health priority because pediatricians should not expect insomnia symptoms to resolve during development in a high proportion of children. Objective measures of sleep may be clinically useful in adolescence”.