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Manipulating sleep duration alters emotional functioning and cognitive performance in children

Jennifer L Vriend1, Fiona D Davidson, Penny V Corkum

  • 1PhD, Queensview 600-2725 Queensview Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K2B 0A1, Canada. jvriend@qps-on.ca.

Journal of Pediatric Psychology
|May 31, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Even small changes in sleep duration significantly impact children's emotional and cognitive abilities. Ensuring adequate sleep is crucial for overall daytime functioning in children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

  • Sleep duration is a critical factor influencing child development.
  • Understanding the precise impact of sleep variations on children's daily functioning is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how varying sleep durations affect emotional regulation and cognitive performance in school-aged children.
  • To quantify the effects of short-term sleep changes on children's functioning.

Main Methods:

  • 32 children (aged 8-12) participated in a 3-week study using actigraphy to monitor sleep.
  • Children experienced two conditions: 1 hour less sleep and 1 hour more sleep than their typical duration, each for 4 nights.
  • Emotional and cognitive functions were assessed after each sleep condition using objective and subjective measures.

Main Results:

  • Children in the Short Sleep condition showed poorer positive affective response and emotion regulation compared to the Long Sleep condition.
  • Cognitive performance was negatively affected by shorter sleep duration, with impairments noted in short-term memory, working memory, and attention.
  • Even modest sleep duration changes over a few nights had measurable negative consequences.

Conclusions:

  • Short-term sleep duration deficits, even by one hour, significantly impair children's emotional and cognitive functioning.
  • These findings highlight the critical role of consistent, adequate sleep in supporting children's daytime performance and well-being.
  • Modest sleep alterations can have substantial effects on children's functioning, underscoring the importance of sleep hygiene.
Abstract

Keywords:
childrencognitive assessmentmental healthpsychosocial functioningsleep

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