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The children in the study
were monitored in two ways: through self-reported questionnaires
filled out by their parents and by a night in a sleep lab with
direct observation and use of electrodes. Fourteen kids were in
the group a history of the skin disorder but who were diagnosed
as having gotten over it, and nine others were in the control
group. The researchers say the children with atopic dermatitis
interrupted their sleep as many as 19 times to scratch. Most
scratching is done at the onset of sleep and during the less
intense Phases I and II. In several instances, the researchers
believe, the children were motivated to wake up by an itch
similar to that of when there's a need to scratch, but not
intense enough to actually scratch.
The researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
in Beer-Sheva, Israel, say the two groups of children had
similar sleep times and sleep efficiency. But they say the
increased number of interruptions may be a factor in increased
afternoon napping and during-the-day drowsiness of children with
the affliction. Those problems can, in turn, lead to learning
disabilities and daytime behavioral problems .
Treating the skin problems, and not the sleep problems, is
favored by the researchers. They believe medications to improve
sleep onset and continuity have not shown long-term effect. They
also believe more study is needed to determine the exact
relationship between the skin condition, sleep patterns and
daytime functioning.
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