My 3-year-old still naps, but whenever he doesn't, the consequences can be catastrophic. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but if Santiago doesn't get to nap, his behavior goes downhill pretty quickly before the day is over. So I'm not surprised to hear that a new study has found a direct relation between the sleep patterns of elementary-aged kids and their behavior in school. Simply put, the more sleep they get, the better behaved they are.
The study, which was published in the journal Pediatrics, compared the behavior of children ages 7 to 11 some of which got almost 30 additional minutes of sleep each night and others who got almost one hour less of shut eye per night.
The teachers of the students in the study were asked to assess their behavior, but they weren't privy to which ones got less sleep than others. The students who slept an hour less than usual had all kinds of behavior issues including being quick to cry, losing their temper, and getting frustrated. Meanwhile, the students who got an extra 27 minutes of sleep showed they were better able to cope with their emotions and they paid more attention in class.
Read more in ¿Qué más?: Help! Will my kids ever sleep in their own beds?
The results didn't surprise researchers, but they want to use them as proof that getting adequate sleep is extremely beneficial to our children. Although some parents claim their children have no problem waking up in the morning even though they go to bed whenever they're tired (even if that means midnight), I think most parents understand the importance of getting enough sleep.
If you're wondering whether your elementary school aged children are getting enough shut eye, be on the lookout for the following:
- Are they sleepy during the day? Do they fall asleep watching TV or while riding in the car?
- Watch their sleep patterns when school's out. Do they always seem to sleep more when they don't have to wake up to go to school?
Remember that all kids are different, those in elementary school should be getting between 10 and 11 hours of sleep at night.
Image via slightly everything/flickr
