According to new research reported in The Hill, sleeping less than nine hours could affect children’s memory and mental health.

Researchers from the University of Maryland examined MRI and medical records of over 8,300 children aged 9 to 10, along with parent and child surveys. They discovered that “elementary school-age kids who sleep less than the recommended number of hours per night exhibit differences in brain regions associated with memory, intelligence and well-being.”

The findings in the long-term study were startling. Accounting for factors that can influence sleep habits and brain function – such as differences in socioeconomic status, gender, and puberty status – the team clearly “linked lack of sleep to mental health issues like depression and anxiety and to memory issues, including problem solving and decision making.”

According to the study’s corresponding author Ze Wang, what was alarming was that over a two-year period brain structure was altered by lack of sleep. “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 added, “These differences persisted after two years, a concerning finding that suggests long-term harm for those who do not get enough sleep.”

The findings underscore the importance of sleep for developing brains. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends between nine and 12 hours of sleep nightly for children ages 6 to 12 for good reason. Parents can do their part to ensure their children’s healthy brain development by prioritizing their sleep, limiting technology before bedtime, and maintaining sleep routines.

Albert Reece, Dean of University of Maryland School of Medicine, emphasized sleep’s critical value: “Sleep can often be overlooked during busy childhood days filled with homework and extracurricular activities. Now we see how detrimental that can be to a child’s development.”

Read the University of Maryland news release here.

Read the research study published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health here.

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