Normative values of polysomnographic parameters in childhood and adolescence: Quantitative sleep parameters

ObjectiveTo provide normative values for sleep macroarchitecture of healthy children aged 1–18 years using the AASM sleep scoring criteria, assessing the effects of gender, age, and Tanner pubertal stage.MethodsOne-night polysomnography was performed at subjects’ habitual bedtimes in 16 laboratories on 209 healthy German children.ResultsNormal values of sleep macrostructure show significant age dependencies (p < 0.05). Increasing with age: awakening index, R latency (RL), sleep efficiency (SE) (total sleep time (TST)/sleep period time (SPT)) and SE (TST/time in bed), stage N2, mean sleep cycle duration, number of stage shifts. Decreasing with age: TST, SPT, wake after sleep onset, stage N3, stage R, movement time (MT), number of sleep cycles. The following sleep parameters show a dependency on Tanner stages as well as corresponding age (p < 0.05):TST, SPT, awakening index, R latency, stage N2, stage N3, MT, number of sleep cycles, mean sleep cycle duration. No gender dependencies were found.ConclusionThe given study, considering AASM rules, shows the development of sleep in normal children ages 1–18. Subject selection criteria and other factors influencing sleep as well AASM guideline modifications including scoring arousals in N2 and scoring MT as a measure of sleep fragmentation are discussed.