Sleep

Who does it affect?

• We found at least one in three Australian children has trouble falling asleep or has trouble staying asleep throughout the night.
• Sleep problems affect more than one-third of infants and 20 per cent of mothers report severe, persistent baby sleep problems in the first year. 
• Up to 70 per cent of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder suffer from behavioural or medically-based sleep problems and up to 80 per cent of children on the autism spectrum have sleep difficulties.
• One-quarter of 12 to 13-year-olds and half of 16 to 17-year-olds in Australia don’t get enough sleep on school nights.

Our sleep research

Researchers at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute found that conducting two sessions advising parents on healthy sleep habits and behavioural strategies improved the sleep of children with ADHD. We found that a brief intervention not only improves sleep in children with autism but also their wellbeing and quality of life. Sleep interventions also help to improve the mental health and quality of life of parents. 

Most children with epilepsy have sleep problems which can trigger seizures and reduce learning ability. We’re collaborating with UK researchers to evaluate an online sleep intervention in children with epilepsy.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) affects one in 1,000 Australian children and adolescents. We’re researching CFS (or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) to better understand the condition and its progression, evaluate interventions and embed evidence-based practice into care.

About 10 per cent of children worldwide snore or have difficulty breathing while asleep. This can cause sleepless nights plus behaviour and concentration problems during the day. Our research has found that a saline (salt water) nasal spray is just as effective as anti-inflammatory steroid nasal sprays at easing sleep-disordered breathing in children after six weeks of treatment. The follow-up MIST+ Trial will explore long-term outcomes and whether certain children will benefit more from using the steroid or saline spray. 

Alongside The Royal Children’s Hospital Respiratory Department, we’re assessing the usefulness and acceptability of sleep studies via telemedicine for patients at home.

For our future studies on sleep, we’d like to investigate the impact that lack of sleep has on parents. Adolescent, child and paediatric sleep problems can affect parents’ relationships with their child and partner, cause tension and be a health issue.

Our vision

Our goal is to help children sleep by promoting and enabling good sleeping habits from infancy to adolescence. This will help them live their best life and transform the lives of their parents and families.