Adults can get enough sleep, but kids can’t: Study shows poor sleep has surprising consequences for young brains

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Young children may often protest their early bedtimes, leading their parents to push them to stay awake for their favorite programs. Or, parents may wake the child up for sleeping late on the weekend or scold them for staying up late to complete school homework. To parents, sleep may seem like a form of laziness or procrastination. However, sleep is fundamental to brain development.

Your baby’s brain develops when they get good sleep. (Shutterstock)

For parents, it’s important to remember that sleep is vital for young brains. This means that parents should encourage their children to value good sleep habits. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that sleep disruption has more dangerous consequences in young children.

Also read: Poor sleep can age your brain by up to 3 years; Study finds worrying link between sleep problems and brain age

Relationship of sleep to brain development

Parents, unaware of the dangers of poor sleep, scold their children for sleeping late. (Shutterstock)
Parents, unaware of the dangers of poor sleep, scold their children for sleeping late. (Shutterstock)

It’s no surprising fact that sleep supports brain health, and poor sleep quality is detrimental to cognitive functioning. The study, led by Professor Graham Deering of the University of North Carolina, highlights how sleep plays an essential role in developing the neural connections necessary for learning and memory. The role of sleep differs between adults and children.

For adults, sleep is largely associated with maintenance and repair, but for children, studies show that sleep serves an important developmental function. It is important for brain development and strengthening synaptic connections. Researchers examined mice and found that poor sleep quality had a more significant impact on the brains of young mice than that of adults.

They found that young brains do not catch the same amount of sleep as adults. This indicates that sleep deprivation due to poor sleep quality or disruption in children can have long-term effects on brain functioning. This highlights the importance of establishing good sleep habits, such as going to bed on time and getting uninterrupted rest, to ensure optimal brain development in young children.

Also read: Making up for lost sleep during the weekend can help you avoid a heart attack. This is why you shouldn’t skip it

Link to neurodevelopmental disorders

The connection between sleep disturbances and neurodevelopmental disorders in children is one of the most alarming aspects of the study. As researchers examined mice, they discovered that sleep deprivation affected specific proteins in the brain. These proteins are important for cognitive functions of the brain such as learning and memory.

Most importantly, these same proteins have also been linked to genetic risk factors for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). If a child has a genetic predisposition to autism, lack of sleep will trigger it even further, increasing their risk. Sleep is a cornerstone of good biological well-being and is even more important for children.

“Sleep is something that is very important for your entire life, but sleep is especially important for infants and toddlers,” said study author Graham Deering. “There is a growing appreciation that any lost sleep This is especially true during development. Sleep deprivation can have a negative impact on brain development once development is over, so we don’t need to do it again.

Also read: Thinking too much keeps you awake at night? Revolutionary device aims to silence mental noise with magnetic waves: Study

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