A child's academic performance depends on the quality of his or her sleep
Last reviewed: 07.06.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Getting enough, restful sleep every night is almost a guarantee that your child's studies will be easier. Scientists assure parents: if you observe the quality of sleep of the baby, at least 12 months before his entry into the first grade of school, the study will be easier and more successful. This information is published on the pages of the American Academy of Pediatrics publication.
Sleep problems in early childhood are quite common. According to statistics, about 25% of children sleep poorly or insufficiently, which may be due to neurological and therapeutic disorders, unsatisfactory conditions for rest. However, the most common reason is the lack of a certain sleep and rest regime, which should be developed from infancy. Specialists have long come to the conclusion and proved that lack of sleep in childhood becomes a trigger mechanism for the formation of various cognitive, psycho-emotional, behavioral disorders.
Scientists recently conducted a study involving more than two hundred children. All the young participants wore special readers on their arms that tracked the quality and duration of sleep over four weekly cycles. These cycles fell at the time of vacation before the start of the school year, at the end of September and November, as well as at the end of the school year.
Using actigraphy - a specific non-invasive method of monitoring a person's rest and activity cycles - the experts were able to investigate such things as the average daily duration of rest over seven days, the presence of a ten-hour sleep period during the week, and the presence of longer sleep periods. Scientists also collected information from teachers about children's academic performance and had children's performance evaluated by independent experts.
According to the results of the work, the researchers found that children who rested for ten or more hours every day were characterized by a more stable psycho-emotional state, more involved in the learning process, they had a more coherent executive activity. And by the end of the school year such students demonstrated better results of academic performance. In addition, the experts found that the best adaptation was in children with a developed sleep and rest regime, at least 1-1.5 years before they entered the first school class.
As scientists explain, the completeness and regularity of sleep is as serious a necessity as the completeness and quality of nutrition or physical activity. All people, regardless of age, if they have a good night's rest, are more successful in controlling their emotional state and behavior, and are more organized and able to work.