Children who sleep less quickly mature at the cellular level

It is often difficult for young children to sleep, but they really need it. Without sleep, toxins are not removed from the brain, short-term memories do not turn into long-term memories, the ability to cognitive thinking and problem solving is reduced, and the brain begins to destroy itself.

As the new study showed, the results of which were published in the journal Pediatrics, sleep is also a good way to prolong your life. In particular, the lack of sleep in childhood leads to a rapid deterioration of the state of DNA.

What determines the rate of cell aging?

Studies have previously linked the lack of sleep with an increase in the rate of cell aging. This indicator is usually determined by the state of telomeres - sites at the ends of our chromosomes.

Telomeres (from the Greek "end parts") prevent accidental fusion of neighboring chromosomes and their damage to the environment.

Physiological aging leads to compression of these telomeres, as a result of which the chromosomes remain without protection and are easily damaged. The shorter the telomeres, the older the person.

In addition, shorter telomeres increase your tendency to heart disease, the development of neurological disorders, psychological problems and the development of cancer.

Study of American scientists

A team of scientists from Princeton University decided to find out whether this effect will be observed in children, and not just in adults. To test this, they looked through a database that contained detailed information on sleep habits of nearly 1600 nine-year-old American children. They also succeeded in obtaining DNA samples from children and analyzing the length of their telomeres.

It turned out that every hour of lack of sleep led to a shortening of telomeres by 1.5 percent. This, in fact, means that such children grow up faster, although it is not yet clear to what extent.

Why did the children who slept inadequate hours did not develop the aforementioned diseases or conditions? The reason lies in their small age. However, this does not mean that such children will not be more vulnerable to these diseases in adulthood.

Scientists did not find any difference for this association on the basis of race, gender or socio-economic status.

How many children should sleep

Children at the age of 9 must sleep at least nine hours a day, although 10 or even 11 is preferable. Unlike adults who can be harmed by too long a dream when it comes to children, the more they sleep, the better.