The Role of Naps and Overnight Sleep on Cognitive Learning in Preschoolers

The Role of Naps and Overnight Sleep on Cognitive Learning in Preschoolers

The goal of this research is to understand the role of sleep on memory function in early childhood. Specifically, we seek to examine how promoted naps vs. promoted waking in habitual and non-habitual napping children may impact overnight sleep physiology and subsequent memory consolidation.

With time spent awake, sleepiness increases (i.e., sleep pressure; Borbely, 1982). In young adults, naps following sleep deprivation have significantly elevated slow wave activity (SWA; 1-4 Hz) relative to naps following normal overnight sleep (Werth et al., 1996). Similarly in preschool children, overnight sleep following nap deprivation yields significantly greater SWS relative to when a nap was taken earlier in the day (Lassonde et al., 2016). This impact on subsequent sleep physiology suggests that naps may be an extension of overnight sleep. How napping status (i.e., habitual and non-habitual napping) impacts overnight sleep physiology and subsequent memory consolidation is unknown. Thus, this study aims to investigate how napping vs. staying awake in habitual and non-habitual napping children may impact overnight sleep physiology and subsequent memory consolidation.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Family lives within 30 miles of UMass Amherst
• Is 33-71 months at the time of enrollment
• Meets the definition of a habitual (5+ naps/week) or non-habitual (<2 naps/week) napper
• Normal or corrected-to-normal vision and hearing
• Access to a computer with an internet connection for online sessions with the research team.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of any sleep disorder (other than mild parasomnia which is routine at this age) past or present
• Current use of psychotropic or sleep-altering medications
• Traveling beyond 1 time zone within 1 month of participation
• Fever or symptoms of respiratory illness at the time of participation
• Diagnosed developmental disability