Abstract
The early years of life are characterized by significant developmental processes of growth and differentiation in all physical systems and especially the central nervous system. Sleep plays a crucial role in cerebral developmental processes and the accumulation of new abilities and skills. We review the current research evidence regarding the relationship between sleep (and its various components) and cerebral and physical developmental processes. Although sleep is an everyday physiological necessity, the ability to recognize it as a critical component of development may bring a different view towards sleep by parents, educators, and caregivers. This change might lead to a shift in individual and social attitudes aimed at enabling the necessary time and conditions for adequate sleep in children and adolescents to become the norm. These sets of values will then hopefully extend into adulthood, in which sleep also plays a crucial role in both physical and mental wellbeing.
Highlights
IntroductionThe first two decades of life are characterized by tremendous, complex biological processes, which induce and control all the changes, which are necessary for highly differentiated organisms, with tissues, organs and organ systems which evolve from a single cell
We review the current research evidence regarding the relationship between sleep and cerebral and physical developmental processes
The first two decades of life are characterized by tremendous, complex biological processes, which induce and control all the changes, which are necessary for highly differentiated organisms, with tissues, organs and organ systems which evolve from a single cell
Summary
The first two decades of life are characterized by tremendous, complex biological processes, which induce and control all the changes, which are necessary for highly differentiated organisms, with tissues, organs and organ systems which evolve from a single cell. Development comprises differentiation (cells aggregate into tissues, organs and organ systems) and maturation, a process leading to the attainment of full functional capacity [1]. One of these organ systems is the Cen-. One of the complex behaviors, which are regulated by the brain, is the sleep-wake cycle (and within sleep, the NREM-REM sleep cycle) [1]
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