Lack of sleep in children could lead to long-term problems with memory, intelligence: study

Not getting enough sleep could have a detrimental impact on the development of those parts of the brain responsible for memory and intelligence for children, a new study has found. (Pexels)

A new study has found that not getting enough sleep could have a detrimental impact on brain development for children and lead to cognitive difficulties down the road.

The study, published in peer-reviewed journal The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health on Saturday, involved 8,300 children between the ages of nine and 10. Researchers out of the University of Maryland School of Medicine examined the participants' MRI images, medical records, conducted surveys and followed up with the children two years later.

Around half of the children in the study cohort had sufficient sleep while the other half did not get enough sleep, according to the study.

Each child in the two groups was compared against their "matched pair" from the other group, and the researchers controlled for confounding variables that could also impact brain development, such as gender, puberty status, physical health indicators and socioeconomic status.

"We tried to match the two groups as closely as possible to help us more fully understand the long-term impact on too little sleep on the pre-adolescent brain," said study author Ze Wang in a news release.

The researchers found the children with insufficient sleep exhibited poorer development of those parts of the brain that are responsible for memory and intelligence.

These differences in brain development are also correlated with mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety and impulsive behaviors, researchers said.

"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," Wang said in the release.

"These differences persisted after two years, a concerning finding that suggests long-term harm for those who do not get enough sleep."

But in follow-up assessments, the researchers also discovered the children who had sufficient sleep began to gradually get less sleep. There was little change in sleep patterns among the insufficient sleep group, according to the study.

Health Canada recommends nine to 11 hours of sleep per night for children between the ages of five and 13, and eight to 10 hours for youth 14 to 17 years of age.

The researchers say this is the first study to look at the long-term impacts of insufficient sleep on the neurocognitive development of children. The authors say the findings "highlight the crucial need for early intervention" when it comes to ensuring children get enough sleep in order to facilitate healthy brain development.

"Additional studies are needed to confirm our finding and to see whether any interventions can improve sleep habits and reverse the neurological deficits," Wang noted.