Poor sleep in children is now thought to be associated with an increased likelihood of taking drugs and drinking alcohol later in life. — SILVIA MARKS/dpa
“GIVE me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man.” The quip, usually attributed to Aristotle, has long been used as shorthand to explain that a child’s health and rearing affects how he or she can be in later life.
According to Penn State University doctors, a good night’s sleep is not only key to a kid’s development, it could be key to making sure he or she does not start drinking or taking drugs while a teenager.
“If we improve sleep in the school-age population, not only could that show improvements in sleep health but in other aspects like the decision to engage in risky behaviours like alcohol and other substance use,” said Anne Marie Chang, associate professor of biobehavioural health at Penn State.
The duration of sleep is important, but so is getting to bed early, according to Chang and colleagues, who warned that “if children, especially school-aged children, go to bed later, it could affect their ability to sleep well.”
“Adolescents were more likely to have consumed alcohol or tried marijuana by age 15 if they went to bed later and slept fewer hours during childhood and adolescence,” the team said, after examining health data for over 1,500 people.
“Protecting sleep health throughout childhood may reduce the likelihood of substance use during early adolescence,” the team suggested, in a paper published in the medical journal Annals of Epidemiology.
Scientists and doctors have long spelled out the many negative effects of bad sleep in children, which is said to impact mental health, mood, appetite and the immune system.
Last year, researchers published warnings that insomnia or sleep apnea could add to risks of developing dementia and diabetes.
Snacking, another health no-no for kids, has more recently been linked to sleeplessness, with “ultra-processed” food items eaten late in the day associated with particularly negative sleep impact. – dpa
