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Daytime napping undergoes a remarkable change in early childhood, and research regarding its relationship to cognitive development has recently accelerated. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of this relationship focusing on children aged <5 years. First, we evaluate different studies on the basis of the experimental design used and the specific cognitive processes they investigate. Second, we analyze how the napping status of children may modulate the relationship between learning and napping. Third, the possible role of sleep spindles, ie, specific electroencephalographic components during sleep, in cognitive development is explored. We conclude that daytime napping is crucial in early memory development.

Original publication

DOI

10.2147/NSS.S126252

Type

Journal article

Journal

Nat Sci Sleep

Publication Date

2018

Volume

10

Pages

97 - 104

Keywords

children, cognitive development, daytime sleep, infants, language development, memory, napping, sleep spindles