Toddlers can be great fun, but when it’s time for their nap, many parents (including me) are ready for the respite.
However, while daytime snoozing can serve as a lifeline for some parents (and children), a new study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood has found that children who nap beyond the age of two are more likely to have a poorer night’s sleep.
The work was led by Professor Karen Thorpe, of the School of Psychology and Counselling at Queensland University in Australia. “The evidence suggests that beyond the age of 2 years, when cessation of napping becomes more common, daytime sleep is associated with shorter and more disrupted night sleep,” she told Today.com.
After reviewing 26 studies related to napping in children aged 5 and under, the most consistent finding by researchers was an association between napping and later onset, shorter duration and poorer quality of night sleep, with evidence strongest beyond the age of 2 years.
“Daytime sleep is not a response to poor night sleep, but rather precedes poor night sleep.” The problem, Karen says, is that fractured night-time sleep may have consequences during the day.
Would the findings encourage you to put a stop to daytime shut-eye? I don’t know about you but I really relish those disco naps.
