Television Can Interfere with Young Children's Sleep

The percentage of infants and toddlers thathave televisions in their bedrooms is growing—a practice that is taking a toll on children'ssleep schedules. The study, reported in Pediatrics(October 2005), reviewed data from theNational Survey of Early Childhood Health on2068 children 4 to 35 months old to verifywhether watching television, particularly closeto bedtime, can interfere with sleep schedules.

The findings showed that children 12 to 23months old watched 1.6 hours of televisiondaily, while children 24 to 35 months old averaged>2 hours of television viewing each day.The researchers also determined that 34% ofthe participants had irregular nap times and24% had random bedtimes. The investigatorsconcluded that television's bright light mayinterfere with children's normal sleep/wakecycle, and it also may be stimulating insteadof calming close to bedtime.