emirates7 - Teenagers who head to bed earlier and get more sleep tend to have sharper thinking skills and perform better on cognitive tasks, according to new findings.
The study, which looked at data from over 3,000 adolescents, found that those who went to sleep the earliest, slept the longest, and had the lowest resting heart rates during sleep achieved the highest scores in areas like reading, vocabulary, and problem-solving.
Researchers had expected teens with better sleep habits to perform well, but they were struck by how even slight differences in sleep routines could lead to noticeable cognitive improvements.
“It appears that better sleep is playing a key role in enhancing brain function, possibly because we process and store memories during sleep,” explained Barbara Sahakian, a professor of clinical neuropsychology at the University of Cambridge.
Sahakian and colleagues from Fudan University in Shanghai studied participants from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study — the most extensive long-term research on brain development and child health in the U.S. The teens involved underwent brain imaging, cognitive evaluations, and wore Fitbits to monitor their sleep patterns.
Even among the healthiest sleepers in the study, most failed to meet the recommended sleep guidelines. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine advises that 13- to 18-year-olds should aim for eight to ten hours of sleep each night.
Researchers grouped the teens into three sleep categories. The first group, making up 39%, went to bed latest and woke earliest, getting about 7 hours and 10 minutes of sleep. The second group, 24%, slept for an average of 7 hours and 21 minutes.
The third group — 37% of participants — had the best sleep habits: they went to bed earlier, slept the longest, and had the lowest heart rates while asleep, averaging 7 hours and 25 minutes of sleep.
Professor Sahakian called the findings “surprising,” emphasizing how even small variations in sleep time had a significant effect. “It shows that these small differences in sleep add up over time and can greatly influence cognitive performance,” she said.
To support better sleep and mental function, she recommends regular exercise and avoiding screens in the evening.
The study, which looked at data from over 3,000 adolescents, found that those who went to sleep the earliest, slept the longest, and had the lowest resting heart rates during sleep achieved the highest scores in areas like reading, vocabulary, and problem-solving.
Researchers had expected teens with better sleep habits to perform well, but they were struck by how even slight differences in sleep routines could lead to noticeable cognitive improvements.
“It appears that better sleep is playing a key role in enhancing brain function, possibly because we process and store memories during sleep,” explained Barbara Sahakian, a professor of clinical neuropsychology at the University of Cambridge.
Sahakian and colleagues from Fudan University in Shanghai studied participants from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study — the most extensive long-term research on brain development and child health in the U.S. The teens involved underwent brain imaging, cognitive evaluations, and wore Fitbits to monitor their sleep patterns.
Even among the healthiest sleepers in the study, most failed to meet the recommended sleep guidelines. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine advises that 13- to 18-year-olds should aim for eight to ten hours of sleep each night.
Researchers grouped the teens into three sleep categories. The first group, making up 39%, went to bed latest and woke earliest, getting about 7 hours and 10 minutes of sleep. The second group, 24%, slept for an average of 7 hours and 21 minutes.
The third group — 37% of participants — had the best sleep habits: they went to bed earlier, slept the longest, and had the lowest heart rates while asleep, averaging 7 hours and 25 minutes of sleep.
Professor Sahakian called the findings “surprising,” emphasizing how even small variations in sleep time had a significant effect. “It shows that these small differences in sleep add up over time and can greatly influence cognitive performance,” she said.
To support better sleep and mental function, she recommends regular exercise and avoiding screens in the evening.