Ohinata, Junko, Suzuki, Nao, Araki, Akiko et al. · Brain & development · 2008 · DOI
This study examined sleep patterns in 12 children with ME/CFS using a special watch-like device called an actigraph that tracks movement and sleep. Children with ME/CFS slept much longer than healthy children but had lower activity levels and disrupted sleep patterns. The researchers found two main types of sleep problems: some children had very irregular sleep schedules, while others had a delayed sleep phase (sleeping much later than normal).
Sleep disturbances are a hallmark symptom of ME/CFS that substantially impact quality of life and functioning in children. This study demonstrates that actigraphy can objectively identify and classify distinct sleep dysfunction patterns, potentially enabling personalized treatment approaches and better understanding of the sleep/wake pathology underlying pediatric ME/CFS.
This study does not establish whether sleep abnormalities are a cause or consequence of ME/CFS, nor does it prove that correcting sleep patterns will improve overall CFS symptoms. The small sample size and lack of polysomnography limit generalizability and definitive characterization of underlying sleep architecture abnormalities. Correlation between sleep type and clinical severity or prognosis was not established.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Ohinata, Junko, Suzuki, Nao, Araki, Akiko, Takahashi, Satoru, Fujieda, Kenji, & Tanaka, Hajime (2008). Actigraphic assessment of sleep disorders in children with chronic fatigue syndrome.. Brain & development. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.braindev.2007.10.004
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-ohinata-2008-actigraphic-assessment,
author = {Ohinata, Junko and Suzuki, Nao and Araki, Akiko and Takahashi, Satoru and Fujieda, Kenji and Tanaka, Hajime},
title = {Actigraphic assessment of sleep disorders in children with chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Brain & development},
year = {2008},
doi = {10.1016/j.braindev.2007.10.004},
note = {PubMed: 18031961},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/ohinata-2008-actigraphic-assessment},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/ohinata-2008-actigraphic-assessment
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