Your child’s sleep is important and nights that are too short could have serious consequences on their brain!
Little nights and big worries. sleep is a basic need for the child. Indeed, good sleep ensures good physical, but also mental and cognitive development. Researchers at the University of Maryland have just unveiled a study carried out on the consequences of lack of sleep on children. For two years, they followed brain development more than 8,300 children whose age varies between 9 and 10 years. The scientists combed through the MRIs, the medical records of the children they studied as well as the results of the medical consultations.
All with the aim of knowing what are the effects of nights that are too short on children’s brains. Parents also participated in the study by answering certain questions to better understand the consequences of lack of sleep on their children. Difficulties in decision-making, learning, memory problems, deficit of gray matter in certain regions of the brain… the results of this study could mark the beginning of a series of sleepless nights for parents!
The importance of good sleep
To conduct their study, the Maryland researchers called on more than 8,000 children. They then divided the participants into two groups. On the one hand, heavy sleepers who sleep at least 9 hours or more. On the other side, those who do not sleep more than 9 hours per night. Why 9 hours? Well simply because it is the minimum sleep threshold for a child aged 9 to 10. “We found that children with insufficient sleep (…) had less gray matter or a smaller volume of certain areas of the brain – responsible for attention, memory and control of inhibition – than those whose sleeping habits were healthy” explains one of the authors of the study, Ze Wang. This lack of gray matter therefore disrupts the consolidation of memory as well as the proper functioning of what is called “crystallized intelligence” children. This means their ability to use their knowledge and personal experiences over time. In children who were sleep deprived, medical visits pointed the finger impulsive or even anxious behavior. A good night’s sleep is therefore a need not to be neglected in order to let your child develop as well as possible.