We help your child stay awake by interacting with him/her. We use a variety of playful activities, such as games, singing songs, and reading, to keep your child active and awake.
Frequently Asked Questions
On average, the study last 4 weeks. This time period may be a little longer, depending on your family's schedule.
We know that factors such as sleep environment, parent-child interactions, and children's health status and psychosocial functioning influence when, how long, and how well children sleep. Very little is known, however, about the biological sleep capabilities of young children. In this study, we measure two aspects of sleep biology - sleep pressure across the day and the timing of daily rhythms. This is the first study to ever comprehensively look at the sleep biology of young children.
Although parents know that children are more "cranky" when they don't get enough sleep, this relationship has not been adequately studied in young children. Thus, we are also studying the effects of taking away an afternoon nap or putting children to bed later than their usual bedtime on children's ability to express and regulate their emotions.
All children miss their afternoon nap or stay up late from time to time. Missing sleep naturally makes them a little "cranky," and these behaviors are of interest to our research team. Our goal is to look at differences in the ways children express and regulate their emotions on a day when they have not gotten enough sleep. We will continually monitor your child (with your help) to ensure that they are not "pushed" beyond their comfort level.
Studying sleep biology and the effects of not getting enough sleep in healthy children is very important and will help us understand how sleep and emotional problems develop and persist across early development. The results of the study will be valuable for anyone interested in the well-being of young children - such as parents, physicians, educators, psychologists, and policy makers.
No. The sensors are safe and do not cause any harm. We attach sensors to the face with a small colorful sticker that is lubricated with a hypoallergenic gel. We attach sensors to the head with a similar type of water soluble paste. After the electrodes are removed, the residue washes right off with soap and water.