Curtailed Sleep Is a Pattern in Minority Children

A survey of 755 children showed that minority children do not get enough sleep, comparedwith Caucasians. The findings suggested that less sleep makes the children moresusceptible to poorer school performance and behavioral problems. The results demonstratedthat nearly half of the 10- and 11-year-old minority boys—most of whom wereAfrican American—received less than the 9 hours of sleep a night recommended for the 8-to 11-year-old age group. The survey revealed that roughly 1 out of 10 minority boys gotless than 8 hours of sleep.

The study, reported in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (October2004), noted that a majority of African American children went to bed later at night, comparedwith Caucasians. Almost one third had bedtimes after 11 PM. On average, minorityboys went to bed 30 minutes later than nonminority children but got up at approximately thesame time—7:40 AM.