BackgroundSleep pattern is an important factor in a child’s mental, behavioural and physical status. To evaluate the sleep patterns of children, subjective tools such as sleep logs and questionnaires are still widely used in addition to objective methods of sleep assessment. Despite the established correlation between subjective and objective sleep variables, the characteristic features of subjective assessment have not been elucidated.MethodsTo investigate the characteristics of parental sleep assessment (daily sleep log and brief questionnaire) in preschool children, a 7-day actigraphic sleep study was conducted in 48 healthy 5-year-old children.ResultsSleep schedule variables in the parental reports generally correlated well with actigraphic assessment of sleep patterns; however, sleep periods were longer in parental reports than in actigraphic recordings. Although the daily sleep log was better correlated with actigraphy, the brief questionnaire showed a good correlation with sleep pattern on weekday actigraphic assessments. Parental reports recorded fewer than 10% of the night wakings recorded by actigraphy.ConclusionsSubjective sleep assessments remain useful, although their utility depends on the purpose and size of the study in question. However, knowledge of the potential biases and characteristics of such assessments is essential for correct interpretation of the data.

Our current findings suggested that both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, such as gender, child care, lifestyle and after-nursery lessons, influence the establishment of sleep patterns in young preschool children. Further investigation of these independent variables may help establish a strategy for predicting and preventing sleep disorders later in life.

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Sleep quality and schedule were linked with each other, which may explain why sleep problems tend to aggregate and form a wider syndrome of disturbed sleep even in young children. Strategies solely targeting the improvement of sleep quantity may not promote ideal sleep; simultaneous considerations for the sleep rhythm and quality may be required.