Regular bedtimes for children ‘help brain power’

 

A new study suggests that regular bedtimes in children’s are associated with performance on a variety of intellectual tests and this was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

“If the child prefers to go to sleep a little bit later, but it’s done regularly, then it’s OK for them”, said Amanda Sacker, professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London.

The study

Researchers looked at information about bedtimes for more than 11,000 children in the United Kingdom. The Millennium Cohort Study followed children when they were aged 3, 5 and 7, and included regular surveys

The study found that, regular bedtimes were linked to better performance this was especially true for 7-year-old girls if they had irregular bedtimes. Boys in this age group did not show the effect. In both girls and boys, non-regular bedtimes at age 3 were linked with lower test scores, but not at age 5.

These results “showed that it wasn’t going to bed late that was affecting child’s development, it was the irregular bedtimes that were linked to poorer developmental scores,” Sacker said.

Researchers found that, in general, children who had irregular bedtimes or went to bed after 9 p.m. tended to come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds than other study participants. These were the children more likely to be from poor homes and have mothers with poorer mental health. They were also less likely to have breakfast and be read to daily.

Implications

There are a few possible explanations for the observations in the study. One is that children with an irregular bedtime may not be getting good quality sleep. Also, the body’s circadian rhythms can be disrupted when a person doesn’t have consistent sleep schedules.

Each day, as environmental stimuli influence changes in the brain, we need sleep to allow fresh learning for the day to come, according to the study. Cognitive impairment and lack of concentration are two possible consequences of limited or disrupted sleep. Given the importance of childhood development, study authors say, low-quality sleep in this critical period could have long-term health effects.

The study supports other research showing that adults also benefit from having consistent bedtimes.

“It not only helps with what’s gone on the day before, but it also sets you in good stead for the day to come,” Sacker said.

That makes it worth finding a consistent time to tuck in the little ones – and yourself

 

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