Extra Sleep Boosts Teen Brain Power

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by Yahoo!

It’s easy to think that a few minutes less sleep won’t make much difference. But research shows that, during adolescence, even a short change in bedtime can shape brain development and thinking skills. New findings from scientists in the UK and China reveal that teens who go to bed earlier and sleep longer tend to have stronger brain function and perform better on cognitive tests.

These results come from a large U.S.-based project tracking the health and brain growth of children over time. The work adds weight to earlier studies linking healthy sleep habits to sharper focus, better memory, and stronger mental health. But it also highlights a troubling reality: even the best-sleeping teens in this study weren’t hitting the recommended amount of rest for their age group.

Professor Barbara Sahakian, from the University of Cambridge’s Department of Psychiatry, explained, “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.”

In this project, more than 3,200 adolescents aged 11 to 12 wore FitBits to track their sleep. The scientists compared this data to brain scans and results from cognitive tests that measured vocabulary, reading ability, problem-solving skills, and focus. They then confirmed their results using two additional groups of 13- to 14-year-olds, totaling about 1,190 participants.

Source: Yahoo!
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/extra-sleep-boosts-teen-brain-180700215.html