Sleep deprivation damages older kids’ brains, new study reveals

SLEEP deprivation damages the brains of older children, a world-first study suggests.

Experts looked at the effects of taking a long time to nod off, waking up often, abnormal breathing while in bed and shorter sleep duration.

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They found all these made pre-teens’ brains less efficient, flexible and resilient — and they could cause them to struggle to understand and work out things, control their behaviour and regulate emotions.

More than 5,500 parents of nine to 11-year-olds were asked about their kids’ sleep by academics at Boston Children’s Hospital, US.

Answers were compared with results of MRI scans of the children’s brains while rested.

Changes were noticed in the brains of kids who got less sleep. Girls averaged eight to nine hours of shut-eye, compared to nine to 11 hours for boys.

Overweight children were more restless and more likely to sleep less.

Lead researcher Dr Caterina Stamoulis called early adolescence a “critical time in brain development” as its circuits mutate to help with decision-making and problem solving.

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She added: “We show that inadequate sleep could have enormous implications for cognitive and mental health.”