Sleep tight, wake up bright: Importance of sleep for memory in childhood

Abstract

Sleep problems and insufficient sleep duration are already common in childhood and can have a negative impact on mental health or cognitive performance. The evidence presented in this article indicates that healthy, sufficient and high-quality sleep in childhood is necessary for optimal development and memory formation both during the night and during the day. During sleep, neuronal networks are formed and restructured. Regarding sleep physiology, it has been shown that a precise coupling between so-called slow oscillations (< 1 Hz) and sleep spindles (11–16 Hz) during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep is beneficial for both declarative and procedural memory consolidation. New information is thus integrated from subcortical memory structures into cortical networks for long-term storage. Sleep problems, sleep deprivation and daytime sleepiness can impair memory formation already in the early years of development. Therefore, attention should be paid to a healthy sleep hygiene from infancy onwards. This article gives practical recommendations for the implementation of measures to promote sleep quality at different stages of development.