RECOMMENDATION

Because lack of sleep can be detrimental to not only academics, but also physical and mental health, it is important to educate students about these concerns.  Using a sleep education class and having a sleep hygiene week, schools can increase students awareness about these detrimental effects.

ARTICLE #1

Correlation between Sleep Deprivation and Poor Academic Performance
In recent years, an increasing amount of research has been done on adolescent sleep deprivation. Sleep chronotype shifts with age; during adolescence, teens tend to go to bed later and wake up later when given the choice. Unfortunately, students often suffer from inadequate quantity of sleep due to their evening chronotype in combination with early school start times. Although adolescents typically need 9 hours of sleep in order to function properly, research shows that most students sleep fewer than 8 hours each night which “negatively [affects] academic performance, behavior, and social competence in adolescents” (Ming et al 72). Growing apprehensions about performance in school spurred research linking poor grades with adolescent sleep deprivation. However, little research has been done to confirm whether or not there is more than one contributing sleep issue. The goal of this study is to examine the multiple factors that contribute to sleep deprivation and result in poor performance in school. Ming hypothesizes that unnatural sleep cycles adapt to fit with the school schedule, ultimately resulting in poor performance in school.

To collect data, Xue Ming and fellow researchers created an “anonymous questionnaire [consisting] of 13 categories of questions regarding sleep habits and schedules, symptoms of sleep disorders, school performance and school start time” (Ming et al 72). Students also noted their typical waking time and bedtime both on weekdays and weekends, grades, sleep regularity, as well as their own assessment of their “sleep adequacy” (Ming et al 72). In all, 2147 high school students from the state of New Jersey responded to the questionnaire.

The results indicated that Ming’s hypothesis was indeed correct; there is a link between poor academic performance and lack of sleep, as well as a link between “earlier start time [and] poorer sleep quality and quantity” (Ming et al 76). Ming concluded that even though temporary sleep deprivation bears little effects on academic performance and health, long-term sleep deprivation can severely affect grades and functioning. In these cases, students are not catching up on sleep on the weekends like many of their peers. Ming observed that circadian rhythm and later evening chronotype play a major role in the effectiveness and efficiency of the body. Because students are forced to wake up earlier than they naturally would, their academic performance is inhibited. Day to day activities affected by sleep adequacy/inadequacy and circadian rhythm include “decision making, memory, processing speed, selective attention, and vigilance” (77). Lastly, Ming explains that the issue of sleep deprivation can be combatted by educating high school students about the negative impacts of not getting enough sleep, as well as mandating later start times in high schools.

This figure establishes the percentage of students that got the specified amounts of sleep on both weekends and week nights. The majority of students got 8 hours or less of sleep, which is significantly lower than the recommended 9 hours of sleep for high school-age students.

Works Cited

Ming, X. (10/2011). Clinical medicine insights. circulatory, respiratory and pulmonary medicine Libertas Academica. doi:10.4137/CCRPM.S7955

 

ARTICLE 2

 

 The goal of the study

The goal of this study was to analyze the effects that a “sleep hygiene” education program would have on the sleep schedule of adolescents.

 The hypothesis of the study

The hypothesis was that more knowledge about sleep hygiene and its effects would lead to changes in the student’s sleep cycles.

 What was measured in the study

The study measured how the students changed their sleep habits when presented with information about the effects of good and bad sleep hygiene. This data was measured by having the same sleep questionnaire administered twice: once before the class and once a month after the class.

 Figure

Characteristic               Before (mean ± SD)       After (mean ± SD)         P†

Weekdays

Bedtime (hh:mm)            22:20 ± 61 min              22:21 ± 47 min             ns

Wake up time                   05:45 ± 34 min             05:43 ± 31 min               ns

Time in bed                         7.4h ± 56 min               7.3 h ± 49 min                 ns

Sleep quality‡                   6.92 ± 2.50                       6.61 ± 2.57                     ns

Weekends

Bedtime (hh:mm)            23:46 ± 77 min              23:43 ± 76 min             ns

Wake up time                    09:14 ± 95 min             09:11 ± 90 min             ns

Time in bed                          9.4h ± 91 min                9.45 h ± 79 min          ns

Sleep quality‡                   8.68 ± 1.94                      8.0 ± 2.38                      ns

Naps

Frequency (%)                      58.62                               56.90                              ns

Start                                      14:09 ± 85 min               13:58 ± 58                   ns

End                                        16:06 ± 83 min                15:57 ± 71            P < 0.05

Duration                    1 h 57 min ± 57 min     1 h 55 min ± 58 min        ns

Sleepiness                           10.11 ± 3.46                   9.98 ± 3.59                  ns

†
ns = probability > 0.05.

‡
Very good = 10, very bad = 0.

 Figure Description

The Figure shows the differences in sleep hygiene before and after the education program. While most of the data remains the same, the researchers focus on the changes in the start time of naps and sleep latency. According to their findings, students started naps earlier after the program (a positive change) and took less time falling asleep causing a positive change in sleep latency.  The areas of the above graph that are italicised and bolded show these changes.  While students spend less time in bed, their sleep onset times and wake-up times are relatively equal before and after the program; therefore, this set of data proves that sleep latency or time spent falling asleep has decreased.  Both of these positive changes help to confirm the hypothesis.

 Summary of major findings of the article

The research showed a slight change in some sleep behaviours amoung the tested students. It is the hope of the researchers that these changes occurred as a result of a conscious change in behaviour due to the weeklong education class accompanied by a Sleep Hygiene Week at school. In order to produce hopefully more drastic results, the scientist hope to do further work that focuses on and addresses things that might be keeping the kids up at night such as sport or cell phone use or television.

Citation

de Sousa, I., Araújo, J. F., & de Azevedo, C. V. M. (2007). The effect of a sleep hygiene education program on the sleep–wake cycle of Brazilian adolescent students. Sleep and Biological Rhythms, 5, 251–258.