Delay school start time in Hong Kong
Delay school start time in Hong Kong
A secondary school in Hong Kong delayed school start time from 7:45-8:00. After the delayed school schedule, students and teachers welcome the changes, and there are several positive outcomes:
Increased their total time in bed
Improved mental health
Better prosocial behaviors
Better peer relationships
Greater attentiveness
Less emotional problems
Less behavioral difficulties
(Sleep Medicine, 2017)
Sleep Education in Hong Kong
Sleep Education in Hong Kong
A total of 14 secondary schools and a total of 3713 students joined the sleep education programme. The intervention included a town hall seminar, small class workshops, a slogan competition, a brochure, and an educational Web site. Their parents and teachers were offered sleep education seminars.
After sleep education programmes, students had:
After sleep education programmes, students had:
Improved sleep knowledge
Improving behavioral and mental health
but it had no significant impact on sleep duration or pattern
(Pediatrics, 2015)
Nightmare study in Hong Kong Children
Nightmare study in Hong Kong Children
Prevalence of frequent nightmares with at least once per week was 5.2%.
Frequent nightmares in children were associated with a constellation of child, sleep, and family related factors, including
Comorbid sleep problems, such as insomnia and parasomnia (sleep walking, sleep talking)
Family economic status
Parental nightmares
Approximately 20% of children with frequent nightmares experienced comorbid frequent insomnia.
Frequent nightmares are independently associated with emotional and behavioural problems in children
(Sleep, 2011)
Factors affecting children and adolescent sleep wake pattern
Factors affecting children and adolescent sleep wake pattern
There was a complex and interactive factor that affecting children’s sleep-wake pattern, these factors include:
Parental sleep/wake patterns,
Socioeconomic status
Daytime activities
These findings have important clinical implications for the management of childhood sleep/wake habits and problems.
(Journal of Pediatrics, 2010)
(Journal of Pediatrics, 2010)
A study of insomnia in Hong Kong Children
A study of insomnia in Hong Kong Children
Higher parental insomniac symptoms would affect the rate of insomnia of their children
Insomnia of children was influenced by various factors
Insomnia of children was influenced by various factors
Sleep environment
Family’s environment (e.g., economic status, stress)
Parent’s sleep problems
Children’s medical condition
(Sleep Medicine, 2009)
The effect of sleep duration and body weight in school-age children
The effect of sleep duration and body weight in school-age children
The effect of sleep duration on body weight in school-aged children
In 2003, Hong Kong primary school students only had about nine hours sleep
They tended to compensate for their accrued sleep debt of weekdays by sleeping one hour longer on holidays and weekends
Overweight and obese children woke up earlier hence shorter sleep duration
Short sleep duration could increase the risk of obesity in children
