Sleep Patterns and Sleep Disorders in Primary School Children in Qazvin, Iran

Objective Sleep disorders are common in children; they also have a significant impact on the whole family, the parents in particular. Few studies in this field have been performed in Iran; hence the  present study was carried out in order to determine sleep patterns and the  prevalence of sleep disorders in school aged children in Qazvin. Material and Methods This cross sectional study was done on 300 students (150 males and 150 females) of elementary schools in Qazvin, selected from cluster random samples. The duration of the study was from November 2006 to February 2007, and data was acquired by means of a standard pediatric sleep questionnaire. Results The prevalence of sleep disorder among subjects was 44.3% (47.3% in males, and 41.3% in females), and the disorder was severe in 21% of the studied children. Sleep patterns during the school days differed significantly from what was observed on Fridays (p=0.000). In addition, there was a significant difference between males and females in terms of duration of sleep on Fridays (p=0.014). Conclusion Considering the high prevalence of sleep disorders in children, their harmful impact on the development of the  nervous system and the child's learning and psychological health as well as on parental competency, and again bearing in mind the low level of awareness among the general population about sleep hygiene, we strongly recommend educational programs via public media and via meetings with the parents in schools.