Sleep hygiene of children in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Southeast Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Sleep hygiene may be defined as a set of habits and guidelines that promote consistently restful and sufficient sleep at night, consequently leading to alertness during the day. The study was aimed at determining the pattern of sleep hygiene and factors contributing to poor sleep among children attending children outpatient clinic in Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (FETHA). Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, data were collected from May 2012 to September 2012. Structured questionnaire was administered to parents of children aged 2–16 years. Participants were recruited from the children's outpatient clinic of FETHA. Results: A total of 354 children were recruited, of which 60.8% do not have a regular bedtime and wake time. A total of 56 children (15.8%) had bedtime problems (problems going to bed and problems falling asleep), 10.7% experienced daytime sleepiness, 15% had frequent night waking, and snoring was noted in 30 (8.5%) children. More females had a regular bedtime and wake time 40.0% than males 28.7%. Problems with going to bed, falling asleep, frequent night waking, and daytime sleepiness were more prevalent in children aged 6–10 years. Children less than 6 years had the highest prevalence of daytime naps, regular bedtime, and wake time. Watching television before bedtime was significantly associated with frequent night waking, problems with falling asleep, and daytime sleepiness (P = 0.000, P = 0.001, and P = 0.002, respectively). Conclusion: Findings from this study showed that poor sleep hygiene is common among children in this environment. Health education to parents and their children aged 7 years and above on the importance of good sleep hygiene is, therefore, necessary.

Keywords

• BEARS parameters
• sleep hygiene
• variables influencing sleep hygiene