I recently came across a very important study called the Millennium Cohort Study that demonstrated the relationship between sleep and brain development for young kids. Being the parent of a one year old, this newest study published in the British Medical Journal really caught my eye. In the study, the sleep and behavior patterns of 11 000 kids were studied.
The study showed that those children who demonstrated irregular bedtimes up to the age of three were the most negatively affected when it came to 3 important skills:
- reading
- math skills
- spatial awareness
Over times these kids were followed and researchers found that they continued to lag developmentally even by the age of seven. In the study, girls were more adversely affected than boys.
The study concluded that sleep is extremely important in the the first three years of a child’s life in relation to brain development.
Incidently this study is similar to a Canadian study (published in the Journal Sleep) conducted in 2008 that showed similar patterns. Children who slept less than 10 hours at night before age 3 were more likely to exhibit language and reading problems.
One important fact about why it is important for a child to have adequate sleep: In both studies, these developmental problems persisted despite improvement in total sleep time after the age of three.
Source: Sleep Critically Affects Childhood Brain Development
Additional Reading Resources:
- Being Deprived of Sleep? This is not Good For Your Health
- Which Neck Pillow is Best for Me and to Help me Fall asleep?
- Should We Plan Our Sleep?
- Be Happier, healthier and Feel Lighter: Get Good Sleep
- A Soft Pillow for Sleep
