Sleep to succeed: effects of sleep deprivation on academic performance
Written By: Author(s): Ryan Deakin
4 min read
An estimated 40% of children aged four to 16 years old across England and Wales have sleep issues
As a primary school teacher, morning conversations with parents often revolve around how well each child slept the night before. Comments such as ‘he has been up since 2am’ and ‘she is really tired today – good luck!’, are not uncommon.
A lot has been written recently about the importance of sleep in children for academic performance, particularly around whether or not to delay school start times for teenagers to accommodate the biological changes that shift adolescents’ sleep-wake cycles to later in the day. The idea is that the delayed start is better for their circadian rhythm.
This means they are more likely to get the recommended amount of sleep for their age, feel alert during class and boost their academic performance.
Consequences of sleep deprivation
I began to question whether many of the issues I faced in the primary classroom – such as inattention, lack o
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This article was published in July 2018 and reflects the terminology and understanding of research and evidence in use at the time. Some terms and conclusions may no longer align with current standards. We encourage readers to approach the content with an understanding of this context.
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