Prevalence of sleep disorders in children from 5 to10 years

Abstract

Introduction: Sleep is a state of protection of the body during which it undergoes many physiological changes. It is a reorganization of the nervous system's activity. Sleep disorders affect people across all age groups, reaching from children to adults. Objective: To determine the prevalence of sleep disorder in the population of children living in the II Sanitary District of the city of Recife. Methods: A questionnaire based on the Index Pittsburgh Sleep Quality was applied in children’s parents or guardians. Results: The analysis of the questionnaire responses showed that 16.9% from the interviewed children were classified as “poor sleepers”, with scores between 6 and 15, presenting 57% female and 43% male. Conclusion: The results showed that a considerable portion of the children suffer from some kind of sleep disorder, leading to a possible underreporting on the poor quality of their sleep during basic health care.