The impact of sleep deprivation on kids on cognitive development

The findings were published today in the journal Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that children aged 6 to 12 years of age sleep 9 to 12 hours per night on a regular basis to promote optimal health.

To conduct the study, the researchers examined data that were collected from more than 8,300 children aged 9 to 10 years who were enrolled in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. They examined MRI images, medical records, and surveys completed by the participants and their parents at the time of enrollment and at a two-year follow-up visit at 11 to 12 years of age.

"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