June 9 (UPI) -- Young children between ages 4-5, who did not nap were found to be more hyperactive and anxious than children who napped.
The study, presented at Sleep (the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Seattle) found children who did not take daytime naps had higher levels of: hyperactivity, anxiety, and depression than other children.
The researchers suggest napping may have a significant influence on young children's daytime functioning and should be encouraged.
"There is a lot of individual variability in when children are ready to give up naps," lead study author Brian Crosby of Pennsylvania State University in said in a statement.
"I would encourage parents to include a quiet 'rest' time in their daily schedule that would allow children to nap if necessary."
For the study, caregivers for 62 children reported typical weekday and weekend bedtime/rise time, napping patterns, family demographics, and completed a behavioral assessment of the child. It's possible that there could be some minor consequences to children who aren't given the same amount of rest as normal children their same age. It's too early to tell if sleep deprivation at this age could lead to conditions like A.D.D. and A.D.H.D, but it is known that sleep at this age should be a very important part of their daily routine.
That makes sense. A child's brain is like a sponge, and I'm sure it needs to go into sleep mode to effectively retain that information and process it correctly. When I have children one day, I will definitely be installing nap time in their schedule!! As far as the ADD and ADHD correlating to lack of naps in small children, I would have to read further about that to form an opinion.
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