Daytime naps may reduce behavior problems

Researchers in the United Kingdom report that daytime naps may help to reduce behavior problems in autistic children who have trouble sleeping at night.

Yiqing Zhong and Dagmara Dimitrios investigated the associations between sleep and behavior in 53 Chinese children between six and 12 years of age. (The researchers studied children in China because daytime naps for schoolchildren are routine there.) Of the children, 26 were autistic and 27 were neurotypical. The researchers measured the children’s sleep habits using actigraphy (which measures movements), sleep diaries, and the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire.

They report, “Autistic children showed significantly more sleep disturbances than neurotypical peers, including greater bedtime resistance, longer sleep onset delay, more frequent night waking, and shorter total sleep. Night waking was a key correlate of behavioral problems in both groups.” However, they say, “Longer nap durations were associated with weaker associations between sleep disturbances and behavioral difficulties, reducing aggression in autistic children and internalizing symptoms in typically developing children.”

The researchers say a short nighttime sleep tended to result in a longer nap the next day. However, longer naps during the day did not affect the following sleep that night.

They conclude, “These findings suggest that culturally embedded nap routines may serve as a low-cost, context-sensitive strategy to support behavioral functioning in neurodivergent populations.”

Citations

“Unlocking the potential of habitual napping to moderate the association between sleep disturbances and behavioral problems among autistic and typically developing children,” Yiqing Zhong and Dagmara Dimitriou, Autism Research, April 2026. Address: Dagmara Dimitriou, Sleep Education and Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology and Human Development, University College London-Institute of Education, London, UK WC1H 0AL, [email protected].