Advanced Sleep Phase in Adolescents Born Preterm

The objective of this article is to evaluate whether sleep patterns and quality differed between adolescents born preterm and term, and to further explore whether differences in sleep patterns were explained by differences in mediating factors such as mood, behavior, or socioeconomic status. Five hundred and one 16- to 19-year-old children in the longitudinal Cleveland Children's Sleep and Health Study cohort underwent overnight polysomnography (PSG), wore wrist actigraphs, and completed sleep logs for 1 week. The modified Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the Adolescent Sleep Hygiene Scale, and the Adolescent Sleep-Wake Scale were used to further assess sleep. Adolescents born preterm demonstrated significantly (p < .05) earlier bed and wake times and sleep midpoints (approximately 22 min after adjusting for demographic and psychosocial factors) by actigraphy. They also had significantly fewer arousals (by PSG), and reported being more rested and alert in the morning, as well as less sleepiness and fatigue. These findings support a growing body of evidence that perinatal factors may influence sleep phenotypes later in life. These factors may reflect developmental influences, as well as the influence of parenting styles on children's sleep.