The Effects of Sleep Restriction on Neurocognitive Performance in School-Aged Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review
Year: 2025
Type: dissertation
Study design: Systematic Review
Abstract: Background/Objective: Sleep is essential to development, particularly during childhood and adolescence, and plays a fundamental role in cognitive, emotional, and physical well-being. It is crucial in this age group, but various factors can disrupt sleep patterns. Sleep restriction can compromise various cognitive functions and affect academic performance. This systematic review seeks to identify the impact of sleep restriction on neuroperformance in these ages. Methods: The systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. The search was performed in the PUBMED, Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, and PsycINFO databases. It analysed objective and subjective measures of sleep, comparing the different sleep durations among participants and their impacts on neurocognitive functioning domains. Results: Fourteen studies were included, involving 9,059 healthy participants. Sleep restriction leads to more lapses of attention and slower reaction times. These effects were more pronounced in younger participants and during extended periods of sleep restriction. Due to sleep fragmentation, difficulties were noted in inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. Some studies indicate that this condition impacts working memory. The results regarding memory and learning are inconsistent among the included studies. Conclusion: Attention is the neurocognitive domain most affected, which may influence other domains due to their interdependent relationship. Despite conflicting results across studies, lapses in attention and vigilance impact overall cognitive function. Regarding the remaining executive functions, some studies indicate that working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility are also affected. The evidence shows that memory encoding and consolidation are compromised.
Author: Maria Raquel Faria Sargo
Language: English
Topic: Sleep and related disorders
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7112717042