Young children may often protest their early bedtimes by rocking their parents to let them stay up for their favorite program. Or, parents may wake their child up for sleeping late on the weekend or scold them for staying up late at night to finish their schoolwork. Sleep can look like a form of laziness or procrastination to parents. However, sleep is fundamental to brain development.

For parents, this is important to remember sleep it is vital for the young brain. This means that parents must encourage their children to value good sleep habits. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed that there are more alarming consequences of sleep disruptions in young children.

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The link between sleep and brain development

It’s no surprise that sleep supports brain health, and poor sleep quality harms cognitive functioning. The study, led by Professor Graham Diering from the University of North Carolina, looks at how sleep plays an indispensable role in the development of neural connections necessary for learning and memory. There is a difference in the key role of sleep in adults and children.

For adults, sleep is largely associated with maintenance and repair, but for children, the study suggests that sleep has a vital developmental function. It is essential for brain growth and strengthening of synaptic connections. The researchers examined the mice and found that poor sleep quality had a more significant impact on the brains of young mice than on adults.

They found that young brains did not catch up with sleep in the same way that adults do. This indicates that sleep loss due to poor sleep quality or disturbances in children can have long-lasting effects on brain function. 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.

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Link to neurodevelopmental disorders

The link between sleep disorders in children and neurodevelopmental disorders is one of the most alarming aspects of the study. As the researchers examined the mice, they discovered that sleep loss affected certain proteins in the brain. These proteins are crucial for the brain’s cognitive functions, such as learning and memory.

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

Study author Graham Diering explained: “Sleep is very important for your whole life, but sleep is especially important for babies and children. There is a growing appreciation that one cannot “make up” for lost sleep. This is especially true during Development Sleep loss can have a negative impact on brain development.

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