Sleep as a potential link between exposome, mental health and cognitive development in children and adolescents.

Title	Sleep as a potential link between exposome, mental health and cognitive development in children and adolescents.
Source	A literature review. Natalia Vincens, Kerstin Perss (in preparation) LERCHER, Peter; DZHAMBOV, Angel M.; WAYE, Kerstin Persson. Environmental perceptions, self-regulation, and coping with noise mediate the associations between children’s physical environment and sleep and mental health problems. Environmental Research, 2025, 264: 120414.
Level of evidence	·       Literature review ·       Reanalysis of sleep in 12-year olds in the Alpine area ·       In-depth study with 18-year olds in Sweden (Not published yet)
What	International literature review with language limitations (English) In-depth study examining the impact of the built and social environments on sleep/mental health and the potential mediating role of environmental perceptions, self-regulation, and coping with noise using cross-sectional data for 1251 schoolchildren (aged 8–12 years) in the Tyrol region of Austria/Italy.
Findings	-              Longitudinal studies suggest early sleep problems increase risks for future mental health issues, low well-being, and cognitive impairment. -              Sleep patterns established in childhood often persist into adolescence. -              Traffic noise, NO2 levels and high urban density with lack of green space was associated with mental health/sleep problems. -              Having a home garden was associated with less sleep problems. -              Good family relations were associated with better mental health and better sleep.
Recommendations	- Healthy sleep patterns should be established at early age to reduce the risk for future mental health issues, low well-being, and cognitive impairment. -  The built environment should be addressed specifically when it comes to guaranteeing healthy sleep. -  Improve family relations and direct living environment, including restoration possibilities (social exposome) for the benefit of sleep quality and mental health.

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