![]() In addition, the pandemic exposed many families to an unprecedented level of stress and alterations of social support networks. These measures were essential to protect the public’s health, but profoundly impacted daily routines crucial for circadian cues, such as physical activity or light exposure. 8, 9, 10 Since the declaration of the global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020, COVID-19 infections increased dramatically, leading to lockdowns and curfews to prevent the spread of the virus. 7 Many of the factors influencing sleep health have been significantly impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. 6 Behavioral factors (screen time, physical activity, bedtime routine), physical environmental factors (light and noise exposure), and parental factors (parent–child attachment, parental education, parental stress) all influence the sleep health of children. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Although sleep is regulated intrinsically by both homeostatic and circadian processes, extrinsic factors play an important role in determining sleep duration, timing, and quality. Sleep health in childhood is of paramount importance for overall health and neurodevelopment, with poor sleep leading to increased risk of chronic illnesses, behavioral difficulties, and poorer memory and executive function. Results warrants further investigations on implications for overall childhood health. Our findings highlight the pandemic long-term impact on childhood sleep. This is one of the first study on this topic in the US, including prospective pre-pandemic qualitative and quantitative data on sleep habits. Regardless of data collection periods, children from racial/ethnic minoritized communities slept less and went to bed later. Parental knowledge of sleep importance might have played a protective role. Impactĭuring the COVID-19 pandemic, US children changed their sleep habits, going to bed and waking up later, but their sleep duration did not change. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted children sleep, but parental knowledge of the importance of sleep might have played a significant protective role. Children from racial/ethnic minoritized communities slept less at night, had later sleep midpoint, and napped more frequently across all collection periods, warranting in-depth investigation to examine and address root causes. Qualitative interviews revealed that parents prioritized routines to maintain sleep duration but were more flexible regarding timing. There was an increase in latency at the first pandemic collection period but no increase in the frequency of bedtime resistance, and a reduced frequency of naps during the pandemic. We found no changes in sleep duration, but a shift to later sleep midpoint during the pandemic periods. ![]() Qualitative interviews were performed in 38 participants. Methodsĭata collection occurred in July 2019–March 2020 (pre-pandemic) and two pandemic periods: December 2020–April 2021 and May–August 2021. This study investigates sleep habit changes during the pandemic in 528 children 4–12 years old in the US, leveraging data from the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. We propose that these factors were altered during the COVID-19 pandemic. ![]() ![]() Sleep in childhood is affected by behavioral, environmental, and parental factors.
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