Healthcare, UK (Commonwealth Union) – In our fast-paced world, where productivity often reigns supreme, the value of a good night’s sleep can sometimes be overlooked. However, sleep is not merely a luxury; it is a fundamental necessity for both our physical and mental well-being. From improving memory and concentration to bolstering the immune system and regulating mood, the benefits of adequate sleep are profound and far-reaching.
As, sleep plays a crucial role in cognitive function, lack of it has been known to cause various health issues. During sleep, the brain consolidates memories, processing and storing information gathered throughout the day. This process is essential for learning and retaining new skills, as well as for problem-solving and decision-making. Without sufficient sleep, cognitive abilities can become impaired, leading to difficulties in concentration, memory lapses, and decreased productivity.
New research from the University of Birmingham found that kids who don’t get enough sleep regularly from when they’re babies until they’re around 7 years old might have a higher chance of having psychosis when they become adults. The researchers looked at data from a big study that followed kids’ sleep habits from when they were 6 months old to when they were 7. They discovered that children who consistently slept less during this time were more than twice as likely to have a psychotic disorder when they grew up, and almost four times as likely to have a scary episode related to psychosis. Other studies have shown that sleep problems and psychosis can be linked at certain times, but this is the first one to prove that not getting enough sleep all the time can strongly predict having psychosis later on.
The lead author, Dr Isabel Morales-Muñoz, says “It’s entirely normal for children to suffer from sleep problems at different points in their childhood, but it’s also important to know when it might be time to seek help. Sometimes sleep can become a persistent and chronic problem, and this is where we see links with psychiatric illness in adulthood.
“The good news is that we know that it is possible to improve our sleep patterns and behaviours. While persistent lack of sleep may not be the only cause of psychosis in early adulthood, our research suggests that it is a contributing factor, and it is something that parents can address.”
A big study in a medical journal called JAMA Psychiatry looked at information from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). This study keeps track of 12,394 kids from when they’re 6 months old until they’re 7 years old, and then follows up with 3,889 of them when they’re 24 years old.
The study found that kids who didn’t get enough sleep when they were young were more likely to experience psychosis when they grew up. However, the researchers couldn’t say for sure that not sleeping enough directly caused psychosis. They think there might be other things, besides not sleeping enough, that are connected to both childhood sleep patterns and psychosis.
To understand this better, the researchers also checked how healthy the kids’ immune systems were. They did this by looking at signs of inflammation in blood samples when the kids were nine years old. They found that kids with weaker immune systems were more likely to have problems with sleep and later experience psychosis. But there are still some things they don’t know that might also be important.
Dr. Morales-Muñoz led this research, which is part of a bigger effort called the Mental Health Mission Midlands Translational Centre. This center, led by the University of Birmingham and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, tries to test and approve treatments for early psychosis and depression in children and young adults.
“We know that early intervention is really important in helping young people with mental illness. One of the priorities of the Midlands Mental Health Mission Translational Research Centre of Excellence is to develop and test targeted interventions that could have a real impact on young people who have an illness or who are at risk of developing one. Understanding the role that good sleep hygiene plays in positive mental health could be a really important part of this process.”
Chronic sleep deprivation has been linked to increased irritability, anxiety, as well as depression, and the findings of the study are likely shed further light on sleep deprivations links to the immune system.
