Good Sleep for Good Grades

If your child’s grades are slipping in school, inadequate amounts of sleep could be to blame. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a lack of sleep can hinder a student’s ability to stay alert at school, leading to a decline in academic performance and a decrease in grade point averages.

In the study, delaying school start times by 30 minutes had a significant positive impact on students. With a later sleep time, students experienced more sleep satisfaction and motivation in school.

Most teenagers aren’t able to fall asleep at normal times during the night because of changes in the adolescent brain. Although the National Sleep Foundation recommends that teenagers get at least nine hours of sleep, 58 percent of teenagers get fewer than seven! It’s no surprise that nearly 60 percent of children under the age of 18 feel tired during school.

Another study on college-aged students showed similar patterns. After categorizing students into “morning larks, regular robins and night owls” based on their sleep routines, researchers were able to see a relationship between the amount of sleep and grades.

Those with healthy sleep routines, the morning owls and regular robins, shared an average GPA of 3.18 after their freshman year. Their night owl counterparts were sitting at a 2.84.

The same students were asked to retake the survey at the end of their college careers. The results showed that when the original night owls regulated their sleep schedules and adjusted to college life, they were able to bring their GPAs up to match that of the robins and the larks.

Sleep is important and necessary for a student’s success. It helps rest and refresh imperative cognitive and critical thinking skills and helps them focus and stay awake during class.

You can help make sure your child is getting the rest he or she needs by scheduling a bedtime, restricting the use of electronics before bed, and replacing caffeinated and sugary drinks with healthier options. But if he or she is still struggling to fall asleep and stay asleep, please give our team at FusionSleep call at (678) 990-3962. At FusionSleep, we want to make sure all of out patients are well-rested so they can succeed!