Sleep disorders in children who watch TV at night

• April 27, 2024

A study headed by Dr. Michelle Garrison , scientist of the Research Institute of Children's Hospital of Seattle. Warns that television programs with violent content alter the sleep habits of children of preschool age.

The research found that sleep problems are more common in children 3 to 5 years old who watch TV after 7:00 p.m. Also in conclusion it was known that look violent programs (including cartoons) is related to sleep disorders.

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that children younger than 2 years do not look TV shows , and that the remaining children's sector does not look at it more than 2 hours a day. Dr. Garrison believes that many families mistakenly think that watching television helps their children sleep.

During the investigation, 112 children were analyzed, almost 1 in 5, had one or more sleep disorders (difficulty falling asleep, waking up at night, nightmares and sleepiness during the day).

As published by the AP news agency, these are some discoveries about the children studied:

• The average time before the screen during the day was 73 minutes, with 14 minutes after 7 p.m.
• Children with TV in their bedroom watched approximately 40 more minutes of programming daily
• Nearly 60 children averaged one hour or more daily of violent programming On TV; 37% had frequent sleep problems compared to 19% who saw little or no violence
• Nearly 100 children averaged more than half an hour of nightly TV; 28% had frequent sleep problems against 19% who watched little or no TV at night

The study does not suggest completely banning the use of televisions. Enough with delete the time of TV at night and prohibit violent programming.