Most parents measure their children’s success on the basis of academic or extracurricular activities, however, their mental health which directly relates to their sleeping habits is the last benchmark of their success. Although parents can instill and encourage healthy sleeping habits in their children, they can start off by providing basics like a great sleeping atmosphere and comfortable bedding. For instance, the organic Mela eucalyptus duvet cover is super soft to the touch and maintains the body temperature to ensure an undisrupted good night’s sleep.
According to the Australian Centre for Education in Sleep, it’s recommended for primary school students to get ten to twelve hours of sleep, whereas, high school adolescents ought to get eight to ten hours of sleep.
However, many students don’t get the required amount of sleep and this can cause a major backlog in their academics. Therefore, for students to achieve excellent grades in school, it’s vital to consider the relationship between sleep and school success.
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How Does Sleep Deprivation Affect School Success?
While students may think pulling an all-nighter will be good for their exams, to be honest, it’s not quite true. It’s important to get the recommended amount of sleep not only during exam days but also on the regular school days for students to excel in their studies as sleep has a major impact on their academics.
Decreased focus. Lack of sleep can adversely impact one’s ability to concentrate during classes or even during exam preparation, hence, leading to poor grades or unsatisfied academic performance.
Impaired memory. As your brain processes memory while you sleep and recharge your body to be able to perform well during the day, insufficient sleep can lead to memory problems and confusion. This, in return, can slow down one’s ability to take in and evaluate information.
Extreme daytime sleepiness. Most of the academic performance is affected by the number of absentees and one of the reasons for this is excessive daytime sleepiness. If you don’t get enough sleep during the nighttime, your body won’t be recharged and you won’t be able to sit at the desk for long hours, let alone understand the important lectures.
Depression and anxiety. Sleep deprivation can lead to worse mental health conditions over time like depression and anxiety and this can adversely affect the performance of students at school or college.
Adversely affects decision-making abilities. Lack of sleep affects the way an individual thinks and processes information and this can also have a drastic impact on their decision-making abilities. This, in return, can lead to students making wrong decisions for their academic careers.
Other physical health-related issues. Unhealthy sleeping patterns can also affect the physical health of an individual such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and susceptibility to other serious illnesses and this can cause a major hindrance in their school success.
How Can Students Get Better Sleep for Success in School?
Taking into account the above issues students can have when they don’t get an adequate amount of sleep regularly, it’s obvious why healthy sleep is crucial for success in school.
If your child is not doing well in school, it’s better to focus on other factors rather than asking them to work even harder. You can try setting a strict bedtime routine for them as this can train their sleep-wake cycle and they won’t have any trouble falling asleep.
The following measures for healthy sleep can also help your child perform better in school:
Restrict Use of Electronic Devices
Electronic devices like a computer, tablet, TV, and phone can disrupt sleep by messing with sleep hormones (melatonin) as they emit blue light.
Therefore, you must ensure your child doesn’t use such devices one to two hours before going to bed. It’s better not to put these devices at an arm’s length or to completely put them out of the bedroom.
Limit Unhealthy Snacks or Caffeinated Drinks
Unhealthy snacks such as fried or spicy food can cause heartburn or other stomach-related problems that may disrupt healthy sleep.
On the other hand, any caffeinated drink along with coffee like energy drinks, tea, or carbonated drinks can also cause melatonin levels to drop, therefore, it’s ideal to completely avoid them when bedtime is approaching.
Get Rid of Any Distractions
Distractions like loud noise or bright light can cause your child not to catch an adequate amount of sleep. It’s better for family members to cooperate and try not to distract them when it’s time to sleep.
Consult a Professional
If the symptoms don’t seem to alleviate with time, you should immediately consult a doctor rather than solely relying on different strategies to work. At times sleep deprivation can be due to something as serious as insomnia and it can’t get better until it is treated by a professional.
Consulting a doctor will allow you to take a better course of action and not compromise on your child’s mental or physical health.