Researchers from SRI International, an independent research institute in California, found that children in households with bedtime rules performed better in language skills, reading and maths activities compared with those who went to bed at different times.
They also found that children who had earlier bedtimes and slept for a minimum of 11 hours a night had improved cognitive development.
Researchers analysed the data of 8,000 children aged four from the Childhood Longitudinal Study Birth Cohort, including information from interviews with parents about the usual times their child went to bed and woke up at nine months old and again at four years.
Many of the children in the study did not get the recommended amount of sleep per night and subsequently achieved lower on phonological awareness, literacy and early maths skills. The authors warned that this could have negative consequences for school achievement.
Erika Gaylor, lead author and early childhood policy researcher at SRI International, said, 'Getting parents to set bedtime routines can be an important way to make a significant impact on children's emergent literacy and language skills.'
She also recommended that parents develop bedtime routines such as reading books or telling stories.
Last October, health campaigners called for the importance of a good night's sleep to be taught in schools, following a survey by the National Sleep Council that found nearly half of parents with children under five are unaware that a three-year-old needs 12 hours sleep (News, 28 October 2009).
Further information
http://www.journalsleep.org/PDF/AbstractBook2010.pdf.
