Sleep as a boost for cognitive development in preschool children – SOMMAT

About 30% of children are sleep-deprived with real consequences for daytime functioning. Pre-schoolers with short sleep duration or low sleep quality also show lower cognitive functioning. Sleeping less than 10 hours per night in childhood doubles the risk of exhibiting hyperactivity symptoms. In addition to night-time sleep, naps play an important role in consolidating learning, maintaining psychological wellness, and reduced emotional and behavioural problems in children aged 3 to 6 years. Like night-time sleep, napping should be considered an essential factor in a child's development and learning. However, few studies have tried to understand this evolution towards a single night sleep or the consequences of premature removal of naps opportunities.
The present project has the ambition to better understand how daytime and night-time sleep interact and impact cognitive and language development, academic achievement and behaviour in preschool children. This project aims (1) to study the link between daytime and night-time sleep during child development between the ages of 3 and 5, and (2) to explore the impact of sleep on cognitive functioning, language, behaviour and academic performance, with a specific focus on the role of naps and a sleep prevention program. We first hypothesize that, like night-time sleep, nap time has an impact on cognitive development, in young children and that premature removal could have a negative impact on learning. We also hypothesize that enhancing the value of napping through an intervention should contribute to improve cognitive performance, behaviour and academic achievement in children.