In the study, published in the journal SLEEP<\/em>, families in two Head Start programs participated in the Sweet Dreamzzz Early Childhood Sleep Education Program\u2122. The Detroit-area nonprofit organization, Sweet Dreamzzz, Inc. developed the program and offers it for free when funding allows. Head Start programs aim to give preschool opportunities to low-income families, in part to improve readiness for elementary school.<\/p>\n Researchers found that among 152 preschool children and their families, the sleep education program produced a 30-minute increase in sleep duration among the kids<\/strong>, says lead author Katherine (Wilson) DeRue, M.D., M.S., who conducted the study while a postgraduate fellow at the University of Michigan Sleep Disorders Center and Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics.<\/p>\n “We know that an increase in sleep duration of that magnitude is associated with better function for kids during the day<\/strong>” says DeRue, who is now a pediatrician and sleep physician at IHA Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Consultants in Ann Arbor, Mich.<\/p>\n “Parents often underestimate how much sleep their kids require<\/strong>, so an educational program like this, directed at parents when they have more control over their kids’ sleep schedules, can have great impact.”<\/p>\n The study also found that parents’ awareness and knowledge of good sleep behaviors also improved after program participation, but this effect was not sustained<\/strong> when parents were retested one month later.<\/p>\n The educational program included a one-time, 45-minute sleep education program for parents, and two weeks of classroom sleep education for the preschoolers<\/strong>. Parents were asked to keep diaries for assessment of their children’s sleep habits.<\/p>\n “So we found that a two-week program of daily exposure to sleep education in the preschool classroom<\/strong>, along with an initial presentation for parents, can be an effective strategy,” says Ronald D. Chervin, M.D., M.S., the study’s senior author, director of the U-M Sleep Disorders Center, and a volunteer on Sweet Dreamzzz’s Advisory Board.<\/p>\n “But repeated exposure or reminders about the sleep information may be necessary<\/strong> to maintain the effects for kids and especially parents over time.”<\/p>\n This is believed to be the first study to examine the effect of a sleep education program on the sleep of preschool age children.<\/p>\n The Head Start programs were located in greater Lansing, Mich. and Detroit, Mich.<\/p>\n The lessons taught in school seemed to stick with the children. Among the lessons were recognizing 8 p.m. as the desirable bedtime; learning that an apple is a better snack before bedtime than a candy bar; and identifying reading rather than watching TV as a relaxing activity before bedtime.<\/p>\n “We are pleased to see that the University of Michigan researchers have been able to measure the impact of our sleep program. We know a proper sleep environment, regular bedtime routine, and the right amount of sleep hours each night can impact the future of our children,” says Nancy Maxwell, executive director of the non-profit Sweet Dreamzzz, Inc.<\/p>\n Sweet Dreamzzz provides educational programs on sleep, along with free sleep essentials\u2013 such as sleeping bags, toothbrushes, and books about sleep — to schoolchildren in low-income areas. Sweet Dreamzzz’s main aims are to encourage better sleep \u2013 and thereby better health and learning — at the earliest ages.<\/p>\n Most evidence indicates that children commonly obtain insufficient sleep, says DeRue, and this study provides a critical demonstration that minimal, relatively inexpensive interventions can make a difference.<\/p>\n “Family sleep education during early childhood years, when the sleep habits are being established, could prove to be a cost-effective but impactful strategy to improve children’s overall health,” says DeRue.<\/p>\n “Nutrition and exercise are commonly the focus of educational efforts to improve children’s health,” adds Chervin. “Good sleep \u2013 in quality and quantity — is no less vital to our kids’ future, yet it’s rarely if ever discussed. Our new findings suggest that a small amount of effort to promote better sleep could have substantial benefit now, and conceivably for years to come as these youngsters grow older.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Additional authors: Julie C. Lumeng, M.D. and Allison L. Miller, Ph.D. of the University of Michigan; Karen Bonuck, Ph.D., of Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Journal reference: http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.5665\/sleep.3774<\/a><\/p>\n This study was funded by the Michigan Center for Integrative Approaches to Health Disparities and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (P60 MD002249); a Humanitarian Award from the American Sleep Medicine Foundation to Sweet Dreamzzz, Inc; a Physician Scientist Training Award to K.E.W. from the American Sleep Medicine Foundation; and by a training grant from the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (5T32 NS007222).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From the University of Michigan Health System media release: Taking part in an educational sleep program resulted in a 30-minute average increase in sleep duration at a one-month follow-up for… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[319,339,9,43,346],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16945"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16945"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16948,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16945\/revisions\/16948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"sleeping](\"http:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/sleeping_child.jpg\")
<\/a>Taking part in an educational sleep program resulted in a 30-minute average increase in sleep duration at a one-month follow-up<\/strong> for preschoolers, according to a new study from the University of Michigan.<\/p>\n