A new study has found that children who do not get enough sleep each night may have less developed brains than their peers.
 

This exposes them to a higher risk of significant mental health and memory problems later in life.

Researchers at the University of Maryland found that children aged 9 to 10 who sleep less than 9 to 12 hours each night have less brain matter and smaller volumes in certain regions compared to their peers who get enough sleep.

The deficits in brain matter were also long-lasting, suggesting that poor sleep habits at an early age can cause damage for the rest of a person's life.

These changes in the brain are linked to poor mental health, intelligence, memory problems, and countless other issues later in life. Experts fear that any damage occurring during this period may be irreversible, even if the child adopts healthy sleep habits later in life.

Dr. Albert Rees, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs at the University of Maryland, said in a statement: "This is an important study result that highlights the importance of conducting long-term studies on the developing child's brain. Sleep is often overlooked during busy childhood days filled with homework and extracurricular activities. Now we see how harmful that can be to a child’s development."

The researchers collected data from a group of participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development project, a large neuroscience project gathering data on thousands of children for use in research like this.

The study published in The Lancet includes data from 8,300 children aged 9 or 10. Half of the children reported getting the recommended 9 to 12 hours of sleep each night, while the other half did not.

Each participant in one half was matched with one in the other based on sex, puberty status, socioeconomic status, and other factors that could affect their brains.

Dr. Zi Wang, Professor of Radiology at Maryland, said in a statement: "We tried to match the two groups as closely as possible to help us understand the long-term impact of sleep deprivation on the preadolescent brain."

Additional studies are needed to confirm the results and determine whether any interventions can improve sleep habits and reverse neurological deficits.

The researchers combined MRI scans, medical records, and completed surveys from each participant and compared them to determine the impact of a good night's sleep alone on the brain.

The participants were then followed up two years later – when they were between 11 and 12 years old – to see what kind of long-term impact this lack of sleep could have on them.

They found that children who did not get enough sleep, less than nine hours a night, at the start of the study had less gray matter or smaller volume in certain brain areas responsible for attention, memory, and inhibitory control, compared to those with healthy sleep habits.

These differences persisted after two years, a worrying finding that indicates long-term damage for those who do not get enough sleep.

Over the two-year follow-up period, children who got enough sleep generally experienced a slight decline in their daily sleep levels, although they mostly remained within a good range.

Children who did not get enough sleep between ages nine and ten generally stayed at that level.

The link between sleep and brain health has long been known, as people who get more sleep generally have better moods and are better at managing stress, and as a result, often enjoy better mental health.

A well-rested brain is generally less forgetful as well, performing better on cognitive tests and other tasks that require mental focus.

This study found that bad habits in a person's youth can follow them for the rest of their life.

A 2010 study funded by the National Institutes of Health found that people with less gray matter — one of the side effects discovered of sleep deprivation in the Maryland study — are more prone to memory impairment, heart problems, and executive dysfunction.