Adolescents who receive adequate sleep show improved cognitive performance, according to a joint study by researchers from the University of Cambridge and Fudan University. The research emphasizes the crucial role of sleep during adolescent brain development.
New research from the University of Cambridge and Fudan University illustrates a strong link between sleep duration and cognitive performance in adolescents. The study, published in Cell Reports, reveals that adolescents who sleep longer and go to bed earlier exhibit superior brain function and score higher on cognitive tests compared to their peers who get less sleep.
Despite the encouraging findings, the study also disclosed a concerning trend: none of the adolescents studied reached the ideal sleep recommendation of eight to 10 hours per night set by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. This shortfall has significant implications for their mental and physical health.
“Regularly getting a good night’s sleep is important in helping us function properly, but while we know a lot about sleep in adulthood and later life, we know surprisingly little about sleep in adolescence, even though this is a crucial time in our development,” Barbara Sahakian, a professor in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Psychiatry, said in a news release.
Using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States, the researchers analyzed sleep patterns and cognitive performance of over 3,200 adolescents aged 11-12.
The participants wore FitBit devices to provide objective sleep data, which was then correlated with brain scans and cognitive test results.
The researchers classified the adolescents into three groups.
Group One, which constituted 39% of the participants, slept an average of 7 hours and 10 minutes, going to bed and waking up the latest.
Group Two made up 24% of the participants, with an average sleep duration of 7 hours and 21 minutes and average sleep quality.
Group Three, comprising 37% of the adolescents, slept for 7 hours and 25 minutes, going to bed and waking up the earliest while also having the lowest heart rates during sleep.
Analysis revealed that Group Three not only exhibited the largest brain volumes and best brain functions but also outperformed the other groups on cognitive tests assessing vocabulary, reading, problem-solving and focus.
“Even though the differences in the amount of sleep that each group got was relatively small, at just over a quarter-of-an-hour between the best and worst sleepers, we could still see differences in brain structure and activity and in how well they did at tasks,” added Sahakian. “This drives home to us just how important it is to have a good night’s sleep at this important time in life.”
“Although our study can’t answer conclusively whether young people have better brain function and perform better at tests because they sleep better, there are a number of studies that would support this idea,” added first author Qing Ma from Fudan University.
Research has consistently demonstrated sleep’s benefits for memory, particularly its role in memory consolidation, which is crucial for learning.
Moreover, heart rate analysis indicated better overall health in Group Three, as lower heart rates during sleep often correlate with higher sleep quality and fewer disruptions.
The longitudinal nature of the ABCD Study allowed the researchers to observe these sleep patterns, brain structures and cognitive performance trends over an extended period, reinforcing the consistency of their findings.
Senior author Wei Cheng, from Fudan University, emphasized the need to understand why some children have poorer sleep patterns.
“Is it because of playing video games or smartphones, for example, or is just that their body clocks do not tell them it’s time to sleep until later?” he said.
Supported by various Chinese national foundations and the National Institutes of Health, this study underscores the critical importance of ensuring adolescents receive adequate sleep for optimal developmental outcomes. The results are a stark reminder for parents and policymakers to prioritize healthy sleep habits in our youth.
Source: Cambridge University