Irregular bedtimes curb young children’s brain power

Going to bed at different times every night throughout early childhood seems to curb children's brain power, according to a large, long term study by academics in the ESRC International Centre for Lifecourse Studies in Society and Health at UCL. Given the importance of early childhood development on subsequent health, there may be knock-on effects across the life course, suggest the authors. The authors looked at whether bedtimes in early childhood were related to brain power in more than 11,000 seven year olds, all of whom were part of the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). MCS is a nationally representative long term study of UK children born between September 2000 and January 2002, and the research drew on regular surveys and home visits made when the children were 3, 5, and 7, to find out about family routines, including bedtimes. The authors wanted to know whether the time a child went to bed, and the consistency of bed-times, had any impact on intellectual performance, measured by validated test scores for reading, maths, and spatial awareness. And they wanted to know if the effects were cumulative and/or whether any particular periods during early childhood were more critical than others. Early child development has profound influences on health and wellbeing across the life course.