Health Services News: Sweet Dreams Lead to School Success

By Gina Miller, BSN, RN, NCSN

School Nurse, Lincoln Public Schools

A recent study presented to the American Academy of Pediatrics at its national conference in October 2019 states “chronic sleep loss is a serious public health problem among children.” The results found that only 48% of school age children in the U.S. get the recommended nine hours of sleep most weeknights. Children that get adequate sleep, the study suggests, are significantly more likely to show a positive outlook toward school and other signs of “childhood flourishing,” a measure of behavioral and social well-being.

flour·ish defined:verb

1.  of a person, animal, or other living organism) grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly favorable environment.           - Oxford online dictionary

Conclusions were analyzed from responses from parents and caregivers of over 49,000 children, ages ranging from 6 to17 in 2016-17. Effects of adequate sleep translated into:

• 44% increased odds of showing interest and curiosity in learning new things
• 33% increased odds of doing all required homework
• 28% increased odds of caring about doing well in school
• 14% odds of working to finish tasks started
• 12% increased odds of demonstrating the combined flourishing measure

“Insufficient sleep among adolescents, for example, is associated with physical and mental health consequences, including increased risk of depression and obesity and negative effects on mood, attention and academic performance.”        - ScienceDaily

A link to the full article is available HERE. 

The CDC (Center for Disease Control) also has several simple recommendations on its website. See IDEAS.

Few would argue that we all want our children to flourish, to grow and develop in a healthy and vigorous way. Consistency is the key. Offer incentives to your child for getting to bed on time. Realize that habits take time to form (weeks to months). Model what you want to see from them. Hopefully sleep will become an important priority for the duration of their lives!

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