Recent studies emphasize the need for healthy sleep habits in children, particularly if a parent faces sleep challenges. Research now indicates that children can inherit tendencies towards sleep problems such as insomnia.
Children with a genetic risk for insomnia were found to have more issues like difficulty in falling asleep or waking up often at night. This insight comes from a study in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and suggests that signs of insomnia risk appear in early childhood.
The Role of Genetics in Childhood Sleep
Dr. Eus van Someren, a leading researcher, points out the importance of sleep routines for kids, even with these genetic links.
The study involved 2,458 children from Europe. Data on their sleep came from both mothers and sleep-tracking watches. In some cases, mothers reported more sleep issues in their children than the trackers showed. Dr. Amita Sehgal explains this could be due to a difference in perceived sleep quality versus actual sleep.
