Well, parents, here’s some leverage for the ever-challenging enforcement of bedtime for your kids: A new study shows that kids who sleep well do better in school, specifically when it comes to math and languages.
Shocker. Doubtless this is not the first time you’ve heard this idea…or said it to your offspring. But now there is more statistical evidence that sleep affects grades. And this time, researchers looked at specific subjects instead of just “school” in general, because different subjects require different skills and brain functions—and sleep (or lack thereof) impacts various parts of the brain differently.
Researchers at McGill University and the Douglas Mental Health University Institute in Montreal studied 75 healthy children ages 7 to 11, measuring their sleep patterns over time and correlating the data with their report card grades in math and languages.
Controlling for other potentially-impacting factors such as parents’ socioeconomic status, they found that the youngsters with better quality sleep performed better.
Math and languages require use of “executive functions”—skills like working memory, planning and focus. The brain’s pre-frontal cortex, which supports these skills, is highly sensitive to poor or insufficient sleep.
The researchers found a significant relationship between longer hours in bed and improvement in kids’ behavior and attention. It’s important to note, however, that their findings don’t simply mean the children who were in bed the longest had the best quality sleep. “Sleep efficiency,” or the proportion of time you sleep versus the amount of time you’re in bed, is key.
“Short or poor sleep is a significant risk factor for poor academic performance that is frequently ignored,” said the lead author of the study, clinical psychologist Reut Gruber (quoted in Time Magazine).
The National Sleep Foundation tells us that kids aged 5 to 12 should get 10 to 11 hours of sleep each night. Teens need nine hours, but only about 15 percent of them actually get it. If your kids aren’t getting that much, it may be time to reevaluate.
The researchers also noted that some children might have sleep problems that have gone unnoticed and are holding them back. They recommended regular screening for kids struggling with math, languages or reading.
The foundation suggests that parents can help their kids develop healthy sleep habits by establishing and keeping a consistent bedtime routine and emphasizing the need for a regular sleep schedule. It’s a good idea too, they say, to keep television and computers out of kids’ bedrooms.
In addition, we recommend making sure your children are sleeping on quality mattresses. Try our natural mattress options! (After all, kids spend even more time on their mattresses than adults do!) A great, child-friendly bed might just make all the difference for your youngster in math class. And it might make that bedtime battle a little easier.
Sleep Tight, Urbanites!