2-068 - Cognitive benefits of naps in early childhood

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Academic and social pressures often reduce, and even eliminate, daytime naps in early childhood. However, studies in adults have emphasized the function of sleep in memory, emotion, and executive functions. The question of whether naps should be preserved in early childhood would benefit from understanding the functional role of naps at this age.
This symposium draws together three papers that evaluate the function of naps on cognition in 3-5 year old children. In addition to providing a brief introduction to early childhood sleep, the first paper characterizes the role of naps on learning in the preschool classroom. An advantage of a nap, compared to equivalent wake, was observed both on memories from the morning and encoding of new memories in the afternoon. The second paper demonstrates a specific role of napping in language learning in young children (3 yrs). Naps were critical for generalization of new vocabulary after 24 hrs even in children who were no longer habitually napping. The third paper provides evidence of a function of naps on self-regulation and working memory. Nap deprivation impairs self-regulation in the short-term and nighttime recovery sleep following nap deprivation is associated with self-regulation and working memory. Collectively, these papers provide support for the function of mid-day naps on cognition in early childhood. The authors will also discuss the role of nap length and frequency on these outcomes. Such results have important implications for parents and childcare centers, supporting the preservation of naps.

Sub Unit

• Health, Growth, Injury

Chair

• Rebecca Spencer, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Individual Presentations

• Naps in preschool children preserve memories and promote subsequent learning - Laura Kurdziel, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; María C. Pietri, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Presenting Author: Rebecca Spencer, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

• Napping in the preschool years: When sleep maturation outpaces memory development - Presenting Author: Michelle Sandoval, University of Arizona; Julia Leclerc, University of Washington; Rebecca Gomez, University of Arizona

• Sensitivity to daytime sleep loss in toddlers: Self-regulation and working memory - Presenting Author: Monique K. LeBourgeois, Univ of Colorado - Boulder; Alison Leslie Miller, University of Michigan School of Public Health; Allyson M. Schumacher, University of Colorado, Boulder; Jonathan M. Lassonde, University of Colorado, Boulder; Peter Achermann, University of Zurich; Thomas Rusterholz, University of Zurich