Morningness: protective factor for sleep-related and emotional problems in childhood and adolescence?

The relationship between morningness/eveningness, sleep, and psychological problems is well documented in adults as well as in adolescents. However, research on the circadian orientation and its concomitants in younger children is scarce. The authors investigated the distribution of morningness/eveningness and its connection to sleeping and psychological problems in 91 children and 151 adolescents in Austria. The authors found that morning (M) types had less sleep-related and psychological problems than intermediate (I) and evening (E) types, respectively. Among children, M-types suffered less from daytime sleepiness (females: χ(2)((2)) = 8.1, p = .017; males: χ(2)((2)) = 14.8, p = .001). Among adolescents, M-types showed fewer sleep-wake problems (females: χ(2)((2)) = 17.5, p < .001; males: χ(2)((2)) = 19.8, p < .001), and female M-types showed less externalizing (χ(2)((2)) = 8.7, p = .013) as well as internalizing problem behavior (χ(2)((2)) = 9.0, p = .011). In conclusion, these findings indicate that morningness may act as a protective factor against the development of sleep-related problems in childhood and sleep-related and psychological problems in adolescence, especially in females.

Increased RLS prevalence in children and adolescents with migraine: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported an increased frequency of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in adult migraine patients. Until now, the frequency of RLS in pediatric patients has not been investigated. We set out to assess the frequency of RLS in children and adolescents with migraine compared to headache-free controls. METHODS: We investigated 111 consecutive patients with a sole diagnosis of migraine with or without aura presenting to the Headache Unit at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and 73 headache-free controls for the presence of RLS using a semistructured interview. In addition, we assessed the level of daytime sleepiness by means of the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS). A second group of headache-free controls was screened for the presence of RLS using an online questionnaire. RESULTS: The frequency of RLS in migraine patients was significantly higher than in controls (22% vs. 5% (p < 0.001) and 8% (p < 0.001)). DISCUSSION: This is the first study suggesting an association between RLS and migraine in the pediatric population. Future studies are needed to determine the extent of sleep disruption in children and adolescents with migraine and comorbid RLS.