According to research presented at the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, children that get adequate sleep score higher on a range of developmental assessments. The researchers emphasized that having a regular bedtime was the most consistent predictor of positive developmental outcomes at 4 years of age.

Scores for receptive and expressive language skills, awareness of soundword structure, literacy and early math abilities were higher in children whose parents maintained rules about going to bed at a prescribed time. Having an earlier bedtime further supported higher scores for most developmental measures.

The study involved a nationally representative sample of approximately 8,000 children that completed a direct assessment at 4 years of age. They were part of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort.

Source: American Academy of Sleep Medicine