Research Finds Poor Sleep Effects Student's School Performance

Disturbed sleep in school children negatively affects their schoolperformance and various neurocognitive abilities, according to anarticle recently published in the Journal of School Health. This reviewof 21 studies found that some causes of disturbed sleep are reversibleand that affected students can achieve better academic performanceafter intervention. "In many cases, when disordered breathing at nightis the cause, intervention may not only improve sleep, but improveacademic performance as well," lead author Howard Taras, MD explains.Poor sleep should be considered as one potentially contributing factorwhen there is poor student performance. "These children and theirfamilies should be asked about regularity and duration of sleep,bedtime resistance, sleep onset delay, night-wakings, sleep-disorderedbreathing, and increased day-time sleepiness," the authors state.Studies have yet to determine whether there are academic benefits of alater start to the school day.