Adequate sleep is essential for the health of kids. A lack of adequate sleep has been linked with health problems and associated problems functioning on a daily basis for kids.
According to a study which was done by researchers at McGill University and the Douglas Mental Health University Institute along with the Riverside School Board in Montreal, Canada the academic performance of elementary school-age kids was improved with better sleep habits. A cumulative average extension of sleep by 18.2 minutes over five nights for a total of 91 minutes extra sleep was observed to have significant impact on the report card grades of students.
This study has been published in the journal Sleep Medicine. Researchers have observed there is an improvement in sleep and academic performance of school-age kids with a sleep education program based in school. In the intervention group 18.2 minutes per night of true sleep was added. There was an improvement of 2.3 percent in sleep efficiency with a shortening of 2.3 minutes in sleep latency. The report card grades in mathematics and English of the students in the intervention group improved dramatically. There were not any changes noted in the control group.
It has been concluded there is an association with significant improvements in sleep and academic performance in kids who take part in a sleep education program. Parents are encouraged to work with their kids to help them try to get an adequate amount of healthy sleep every single night. It is also worth considering the integration of sleep education programs into the health curriculum in our schools.
Parents and teachers should remember that encouraging good sleep for your kids offers a natural way to help them be healthier and perform better in school. Pediatricians, Family Doctors, and nurses should therefore also be encouraged to counsel parents and their children about how important it is for kids to get sufficient sleep.
