A recent study suggests that having a regular bedtime might be more crucial for children’s emotional and behavioral management than the amount or quality of sleep they get.
As many parents would agree, sleep can influence a child’s mood and behavior. A newly released study from researchers at the Penn State College of Health and Human Development and Penn State College of Medicine indicates that maintaining a consistent bedtime can have a stronger impact than sleep quality or duration.
Published on November 8 in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, the research reveals that children who adhered to a regular bedtime and slept at the same time every night showed improved emotional and behavioral regulation, especially in stressful situations or when collaborating with others.
The study was led by Adwoa Dadzie, a doctoral student in biobehavioral health, and Orfeu Buxton, Elizabeth Fenton Susman Professor of Biobehavioral Health and Dadzie’s advisor. The team analyzed behavior and sleep data from 143 six-year-olds participating in the Penn State Intervention Nurses Start Infants Growing on Healthy Trajectories (INSIGHT) program.
During the INSIGHT study’s early phase, mothers received training focused on responsive parenting, emphasizing the importance of addressing their child’s emotional and physical needs in a warm and consistent way. Previous research from Penn State established that such responsive parenting enhances sleep quality and can help prevent childhood obesity, further underscoring the benefits of routine sleep patterns identified in this analysis.
“Children with regular bedtimes tended to manage their emotions and behaviors well,” Dadzie explained. “Conversely, those with erratic bedtimes exhibited more impulsivity and struggled with self-control.”
Exploring the connection between sleep and child behavior
In the study, children wore wrist monitors for a week to track their nighttime sleep patterns and activities. These devices recorded various sleep metrics: the time they fell asleep, when they woke up, the midpoint of their sleep, their sleep efficiency, and total nightly sleep duration.
Researchers then correlated this data with the children’s responses during a frustration-based task. Each child selected a toy from a collection, but the chosen toy was locked in a transparent box. They were given keys that did not unlock the box, and researchers observed how the children behaved—whether they managed their emotions through self-talk or attempted to try all keys versus throwing them in frustration. After four minutes, the researchers provided a working key, allowing the child to play with the toy.
Additionally, the children’s interactions with their parents while decorating a picture frame were assessed. Their behaviors were classified as prosocial—like sharing and cooperation—or antisocial, such as destroying supplies or disrespecting their parents.
The findings indicated that greater variation in bedtimes negatively affected how well a child managed their behavior and emotions. For instance, a child whose bedtime varied by 20 minutes nightly showed improved self-regulation compared to one whose bedtime fluctuated by two hours.
“These results are remarkable,” commented Buxton, a faculty member supported by the Social Science Research Institute. “Parenting plays a significant role. By establishing consistent structures and appropriately responding to their child’s needs, parents can greatly enhance their child’s outcomes related to weight and behavior, even in the long term.”
Responsive parenting leads to lower BMI and better emotional control
Between 2012 and 2014, INSIGHT researchers recruited families with firstborn infants for a project aimed at preventing childhood obesity. The families were divided into two groups: a control group that received basic safety information and an intervention group that learned about responsive parenting strategies.
Parents in the responsive parenting group were trained to recognize and respond to various infant behavior states, such as fussiness, alertness (which involves feeding and engaging in play), drowsiness, and sleep.
Throughout the first three years, children from the responsive parenting group maintained lower body mass indices (BMIs) compared to those in the control group. The training was not solely focused on weight management; it also helped parents understand their child’s hunger cues, allowed them to gauge when the child was satisfied, and later encouraged creating expectations around routines for food, sleep, and behavior.
At the age of six, children from the INSIGHT study returned for additional evaluations, and the current study focused on their bedtimes and behavior, utilizing data gathered during that visit.
“Our findings underscore the importance of consistent sleep schedules for encouraging suitable behaviors among children,” stated Dadzie.
Researchers noted that while some parents, such as those working night shifts, may find it challenging to establish a bedtime routine, they can still implement responsive parenting techniques.
“Every parent can set clear guidelines and routines for their kids,” Buxton encouraged. “They can respond to their children’s needs in an appropriate and timely manner. Our research over the last eight years supports the premise that responsive parenting leads to healthier children.”
Other contributors to this research include Lindsay Master, a data scientist in biobehavioral health at Penn State; Emily Hohman, an associate research professor at the Penn State Center for Childhood Obesity Research; Ian Paul, principal investigator of the overall study and a University Professor at Penn State College of Medicine; Jennifer Savage Williams, professor of nutritional sciences and director of the Penn State Center for Childhood Obesity Research; Erika Hernandez Acton, assistant professor at Binghamton University; Sara Tauriello, graduate research assistant in pediatrics at the Jacobs School of Medicine; and Stephanie Anzman-Frasca, associate professor of pediatrics at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo.
This research received support from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, and the Children’s Miracle Network at Penn State Children’s Hospital.
