Findings based on temporary sleep restrictions in 50 pre-adolescent children between the ages of 7 to 11show that children who experience inadequate or disrupted sleep are more likely to develop depression and anxiety disorders later in life. The study was conducted by a group of researchers at the University of Houston in the US. Parents, therefore, must treat sleep as an essential component of overall health of their children in the same way they treat nutrition, dental hygiene and physical activity.