A recent scientific study has found a disturbing link between insufficient sleep and late bedtimes in children and changes in brain structures responsible for regulating stress and emotions. These changes can have a long-term negative impact on the child’s development, Ferra.ru reports citing The Conversation.

The researchers studied 94 children aged 5 to 9 years from various socioeconomic backgrounds in New York City. About a third of families lived below the poverty line. The results showed that children from low-income families slept less and went to bed later compared to their peers from more affluent families.

The study found that 5-year-old children with insufficient sleep and delays falling asleep had a decrease in the size of the amygdala and weakened its connections with other parts of the brain responsible for processing emotions.

Not only does lack of sleep increase the risk of psychological problems and reduce academic performance, but it also impairs children’s ability to cope with stress and regulate their emotions. Given that children’s brains develop at a particularly rapid rate, problems that arise during this period can have lifelong consequences.