The impact of sleep deprivation on kids on cognitive development

"We found that children who had insufficient sleep, less than nine hours per night, at the beginning of the study, had less grey matter or smaller volume in certain areas of the brain responsible for attention, memory, and inhibition control compared to those with healthy sleep habits," said study corresponding author Ze Wang, Ph.D., Professor of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at UMSOM. "These differences persisted after two years, a concerning finding that suggests long-term harm for those who do not get enough sleep."

In follow-up assessments, the research team found that participants in the sufficient sleep group tended to gradually sleep less over two years, which is normal as children move into their teen years, whereas the sleep patterns of participants in the insufficient sleep group did not change much. The researchers controlled for socioeconomic status, gender, puberty status, and other factors that could impact how much a child sleeps and affect brain and cognition.

Ref:

Ze Wang et. al, Children Who Lack Sleep May Experience Detrimental Impact on Brain and Cognitive Development That Persists Over Time, The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 29-Jul-2022, DOI: 10.1016/S2352-4642(22)00188-2