Parents take note: even minor sleep problems can lead to cognitive difficulties in children
July 5, 2017 7.12am EDT | TheConversation.com We all know that a good night’s sleep is important, but from snoring to night-time waking, sleepwalking to insomnia, sleep problems in childhood are common. Sleep has many roles, from supporting the development of the brain and strengthening neural pathways to helping the immune system – and disrupted sleep leads to multiple physical and psychological problems. Even in infancy and very early childhood, sleep problems are related to poorer mental and motor development, meaning that by the time children start school those with sleep problems are already falling behind their classmates. Around 20-30% …