Lead exposure can affect children’s sleep
16 Dec 2015 by Evoluted New Media
Lead exposure in early childhood can increase the risk for sleep problems, new study finds.
Lead exposure in early childhood can increase the risk for sleep problems, new study finds.
A research team at the University of Pennsylvania used data from a cohort study – involving more than 1400 Chinese children – and found that lead exposure in early childhood can increase the risk for sleep problems, such as insomnia and early morning awakening, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
“This study addresses an important but often neglected area of sleep science, namely, environmental factors that disrupt sleep biology and behaviour in children and other vulnerable populations,” said research associate Professor David Dinges.
The researchers studied the influence of lead exposure in relation to the development of children and adolescents’ neurocognitive, behavioural and health outcomes. Using the data from the cohort study, 665 children’s blood lead levels (BLL) were assessed when they were between 3-5 years old, and sleep was assessed six years later, when the children were between 9-13 years old. The children and their parents answered separate questionnaires about the children’s daily sleep patterns, insomnia and the use of sleeping pills.
Research leader Dr Jianghong Liu said: “Little is known about the impact of heavy metals exposure on children's sleep, but the study's findings highlight that environmental toxins – such as lead – are important paediatric risk factors for sleep disturbance. Lead exposure is preventable and treatable, but if left unchecked can result in irreversible neurological damage.”
The sleep problems reported by the adolescents include excessive daytime sleepiness, insomnia, early morning awakening, and trouble initiating and maintaining sleep, and having to use sleeping pills, all of which highlight poor sleep quality.
The results, published in the journal Sleep, indicated that child-reported insomnia and use of sleeping pills were two times and three times more prevalent in children with BLLs greater than 10?g/dL, than in children with BLL less than 10?g/dL. The scientists suggest that sleep disturbances are problematic enough for children to suffer from insomnia and even to use sleeping aids/pills in an attempt to ameliorate their symptoms.
“Insufficient sleep and daytime sleepiness is very prevalent in children and adolescents, and it is a pervasive problem that is linked with a significant public health burden. More research needs to be done to identify contributing factors and ways to prevent or reduce their impact. Doing this can not only help alleviate sleep disturbance, but can also indirectly improve sleep-related health outcomes, including cognition, emotion, behaviour, and in some cases, diabetes,” said Dr Liu.
