Intraindividual long-term stability of sleep electroencephalography in school-aged children.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the long-term stability of sleep duration, sleep continuity, and sleep architecture assessed via unattended home sleep electroencephalography (EEG) during middle childhood.


METHODS
A total of 69 healthy children (18 girls and 51 boys) aged 8.2 years (standard deviation = 1.3 years) at T1 underwent unattended home sleep EEG on two nights separated by 18.5 months (standard deviation = 3.9 months). Of the children, 34 (49.3%) children were born prematurely (<32 gestational weeks; mean birth weight = 1367 g) and 35 (50.7%) children were born at term (mean birth weight = 3275 g).


RESULTS
We found moderate to substantial stability (all p <0.001) for total sleep time (TST; intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.65), slow wave sleep (SWS; min, %: ICC = 0.49), and stage 2 sleep (min; ICC = 0.47), and found fair stability (all p <0.013) for sleep efficiency (ICC = 0.28), nocturnal awakenings (ICC = 0.33), stage 2 sleep (%; ICC = 0.32), and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (min: ICC = 0.33; %: ICC = 0.27). Prematurity status was not associated with stability of sleep EEG indices over time.


CONCLUSIONS
Long-term follow-up of one night of unattended home sleep EEG during middle childhood reveals that TST, stage 2 sleep, and SWS are relatively stable, trait-like characteristics. This applies less strongly for sleep efficiency, nocturnal awakenings, and REM sleep. Stage 1 sleep and REM latency showed no stability.
Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Nadine
N
Perkinson-Gloor
Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Priska
P
Hagmann-von Arx
Center for Affective, Stress and Sleep Disorders, Psychiatric Clinics of the University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, Division of Sport Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Serge
S
Brand
Center for Affective, Stress and Sleep Disorders, Psychiatric Clinics of the University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Edith
E
Holsboer-Trachsler
Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Alexander
A
Grob
Division of Neuropediatrics and Developmental Medicine, University Children's Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Peter
P
Weber
Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Electronic address: sakari.lemola@unibas.ch.
Sakari
S
Lemola
D002648:Child; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000502:physiology*
Long-term stability; Middle childhood; Sleep EEG; Sleep architecture