improve children's health and performance," says study author Reut
Gruber, director of the Attention Behavior and Sleep Lab at the
Douglas Research Center in Quebec, Canada.
The study
Gruber and his colleagues wanted to find out if the behavior of
elementary school children was affected by how much sleep they got.
The researchers, with the permission of parents, enrolled 34 students
ages 7 to 11 in the study. These were healthy kids who didn't have
sleep problems or behavior or academic issues.
During one week of school, half the students were put to bed earlier
than normal, averaging about 27 minutes more sleep a night. The other
half stayed up later than their routine bedtime, losing about 54
minutes of shut-eye each evening.
The results
Teachers - who didn't know the sleep status of the students - reported
significant differences in how the children behaved and coped with
everyday challenges. Students who were sleep-deprived not only seemed
overly tired, but were more impulsive and irritable than their
well-rested classmates. They were quick to cry, lose their tempers or
get frustrated.
The children who got plenty of sleep had a better handle on their
emotions and were more alert in class.
Sleep experts say these results make sense and provide more evidence
about the importance of sleep.
"We know that sleep deprivation can affect memory, creativity, verbal
creativity and even things like judgment and motivation and being
(engaged) in the classroom," explains Dr. Judith Owens, director of
sleep medicine at Children's National Medical Center in Washington.
"When you're sleepy, (being engaged) isn't going to happen."
And when children have trouble coping with day-to-day situations,
Owens adds, this can affect a child's relationship with teachers, as
well as their success in school, social skills and the ability to get
along with peers.
Tips for parents
So how do you know if your child is getting enough sleep? Children in
elementary school generally need between 10 to 11 hours each evening,
but no two children are alike. Parents should look for clues, experts
say.
"Kids in this age range should not be sleepy during the day," Owens
says. "If the are falling asleep in the car or watching TV, that's a
red flag."
Another way to gauge your child's sleep need is to pay attention to
how much they sleep during school vacations, when they're sleeping
without a time schedule. If they consistently sleep longer than on
school nights, your child probably isn't getting enough sleep.
Take action
Parents can take steps to get their children off to bed at a reasonable hour.
- About a half hour before bedtime, have your kids start winding down
- put down the electronic devices, turn off the TV and shut down the
computer
- Have a consistent bedtime and wake time and try to make this apply
to the weekends as well
- Be good role models for your children. Go to bed at a reasonable
time and talk to them about the importance of sleep
"Consider that (sleep) is one of the building blocks of your child's
health, well-being and academic success," Owens says. "It's equivalent
to good nutrition, exercise and all the other things we try to foster
and provide for our children. You've got to put sleep right up there
at the top of the list."
