Children’s sleep quality linked to mothers’ insomnia

Children sleep more poorly if their mothers suffer from insomnia symptoms - potentially affecting their mental wellbeing and development - according to new research by the University of Warwick and the University of Basel. Nearly 200 school kids and their parents were studied - children whose mothers have insomnia symptoms fall asleep later, get less sleep and spend less time in deep sleep No link between fathers' insomnia symptoms and children's sleep Sleep is essential for wellbeing and development - lack of sleep could affect mental health, learning, memory, and school achievement Children sleep more poorly if their mothers suffer from insomnia symptoms - potentially affecting their mental wellbeing and development - according to new research by the University of Warwick and the University of Basel. Led by Dr Sakari Lemola from Warwick's Department of Psychology and Natalie Urfer-Maurer from the University of Basel, the study reported in Sleep Medicine shows that children of mothers with insomnia symptoms fall asleep later, get less sleep, and spend less time in deep sleep. Analysing data from nearly 200 healthy 7-12 year old children and their parents, the researchers studied the relationship between the parents' insomnia symptoms and their children's sleep quality. Sleep was assessed in the children during one night with in-home electroencephalography (EEG) - a method used to record electrical activity in the brain and makes it possible to identify different sleep stages - whilst parents reported their own insomnia symptoms and their children's sleep problems.