Participants completed 5 consecutive nights of
sleep restriction (i.e., 6.5 hours in bed) and 5 nights of extended
sleep (i.e., 10 hours in bed) in a randomized, counterbalanced cross-over experimental design, with a 2 - night washout
between conditions.
In terms of studies regarding behavioral problems, one extensive meta - analysis of the relationship
between sleep deprivation and cognition in school - aged children found a significant increase in behavioral problems in children with shorter
sleep duration.25) Additionally,
sleep deprivation resulted in a significant increment in alertness and emotional reactivity in children, which led to delinquency, long - term emotional and behavioral difficulties.26 — 28) Consistent with such findings,
sleep deprived subjects were more alert to negative stimuli, 29) and more susceptible to exaggerated aggressive impulses.30) Emotional lability and impulsivity were all strongly correlated with
sleep deprivation, 31) with the severity of emotional dysregulation worsening as a function of the degree of
sleep restriction.32)