Study finds sleep is the key to good performance at school

A GOOD night’s sleep can boost youngster’s performance in maths and languages at school, a study found.

A child sleepingGETTY

A good night's sleep is important for children, and can positively affect their academic performance

Kids who had a better quality of sleep performed better in the subjects, which are said to be powerful indicators of later academic success, according to the research.

Psychologists from McGill University and the Douglas Mental Health University Institute in Montreal studied 75 children between seven and 11 years old as part of the study. 

Their sleep was monitored over five nights by an ‘actigraphy’ device, which evaluates quality of sleep by measuring movements, strapped to their wrist. 

I think many kids might have some sleep issues that nobody is aware of

Dr Reut Gruber

Dr Reut Gruber, a clinical child psychologist who led the study, explained: “We averaged the data over five nights to build the children’s habitual sleep patterns and correlated the data with their report-card grades.

“We believe that executive functions (the mental skills involved in planning, paying attention, and multitasking, for example) underlie the impact of sleep on academic performance, and these skills are more critical in math and languages than in other subjects.” 

Experts say the findings, published in the journal Sleep Medicine, prove that quality sleep is linked to academic success in specific subjects.

The key measure of quality sleep is known as ‘sleep efficiency’ - a gauge that compares the amount of time asleep with the total time actually spent in bed. They found that grades in science and art were unaffected by kid’s sleeping patters, although maths and langauges were. 

Low academic achievement in children is a common problem in Canada, where it affects 10 to 20 per cent of the population.

Dr Gruber said: “Short or poor sleep is a significant risk factor for poor academic performance that is frequently ignored.

“I think many kids might have some sleep issues that nobody is aware of. And if the pediatrician doesn’t ask about it, we don’t know that it’s there. Regular screening for possible sleep issues is particularly important for students who exhibit difficulties in math, languages or reading.” 

It is now hoped the findings will underscore the importance of identifying sleep problems that could go unnoticed. The team behind the research hope their findings will encourage pediatricians to include questions about sleep in their routine checkups.

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