Nap periods can provide useful information about your child’s brain development and overall health. Sleep, especially naps, is essential for the brain and body development of a child. According to new research from the University of East Anglia, infants who nap a lot have smaller vocabularies and weaker cognitive skills.
Parents all over the world are concerned about their children getting too little or too much sleep. However, according to a new study published today, some youngsters are more proficient at absorbing knowledge during sleep, therefore they nap less frequently.
Others, typically those with fewer words and worse cognitive abilities, require more frequent naps. According to the research team, limiting naps for young children will not promote their brain development, and they should be permitted to snooze as frequently and for as long as they require.
Our findings imply that children’s sleep needs vary; some children may stop taking naps early because they no longer require them. Others may still require naps after the age of three.
Dr. Teodora Gliga
“There is a lot of parental anxiety around sleep,” stated lead researcher Dr. Teodora Gliga. Parents are concerned that their children do not nap as often as expected for their age – or that they snooze too frequently and for too long. However, our research reveals that a child’s napping frequency reflects their specific cognitive need. Some people are better at retaining knowledge while sleeping, therefore they snooze less frequently.”
“Children with smaller vocabularies or a lower score on an executive function test nap more frequently. Young children will naturally nap for as long as they need, and they should be allowed to do so,” she adds.
During the 2020 lockdown, the research team observed 463 infants aged eight months to three years. Parents were polled regarding their children’s sleeping habits, ability to focus on a task, memory retention, and the number of words they comprehended and could say. They also asked parents about their socioeconomic standing, including their postcode, income, and education, as well as the quantity of screen time and outdoor activities their child participated in.
“Lockdown provided us with an opportunity to study children’s intrinsic sleep needs because when children are in childcare, they rarely nap as much as they need to,” Dr. Gliga stated. Because nurseries were closed, the children’s normal sleep habits were less disturbed. None of the youngsters that took part were in day care. The structure of daytime sleep, we discovered, is a predictor of cognitive growth.”
“Infants who napped more frequently but for shorter periods of time than expected for their age had smaller vocabularies and worse cognitive function. We also discovered that the negative relationship between vocabulary and nap frequency was stronger in older children,” she noted.
“While the majority of parents reported that lockdown had no effect on their child’s sleep, parents from lower socioeconomic backgrounds were more likely to report a worsening in sleep.” Screen time increased during lockdown, while outside activities dropped, but these variances in children’s sleep did not explain the disparities.
“Previous research suggested that caregivers should encourage pre-school children to take frequent naps. Our findings imply that children’s sleep needs vary; some children may stop taking naps early because they no longer require them. Others may still require naps after the age of three.”
“In the United Kingdom, preschools for children aged three to five do not allow for napping.” “Caregivers should determine a child’s sleep needs based on mental age rather than chronological age,” she noted.
