Lack of sleep leads to problems at school

A study in Canada suggest young children who regularly get less than the recommended amount of sleep each night may be more likely to experience problems at school. The study followed 1500 children from birth until the age of 6 years old. It found those children regularly getting less than 10 hours sleep each night, were more likely to have problems with their learning at school, as well as showing more hyperactive and impulsive behaviour.

  Previous studies have shown that early-life sleep is vital in children’s intellectual and behavioral development. The study showed that children who were persistently short sleepers were three times more likely to score poorly on a standard test of language skills than children who consistently slept at least 10 hours.  Dr. Jacques Y. Montplaisir of the University of Montreal led the study, he believes there is a “crucial period” in early childhood whee lack of sleep is particuarly detrimental to development. The findings highlight the importance of children getting at least 10 hours sleep a night, the researchers conclude, particularly before the age of 3.5.