Sleep Deprivation in Children and Students.

Sleep deprivation in Children and students.

A dangerous trend is emerging in America – more and more school and college students are experiencing sleep deprivation. According to medics, a school-going child must get between 8.5 and 9 hours of sleep daily – the actual figure stands at 6.8 hours. Another study has revealed college freshmen get the shortest amount of sleep and 1 in 4 of them fall asleep during class hours.

In 1997, a research conducted by the University of Minnesota revealed that students whose school began early (7.15 A.M.) got inadequate sleep and lower grades than students whose schools opened later (8.30 A.M.).

Sleep Deprivation in Children.

In a recent study, it was discovered that about 40% of elementary-aged children suffered from sleep disorders, of these 15% were reluctant to sleep at bedtime and 10% felt sleepy during the day. The same study discovered that 50% of American teenagers had regularly experienced difficulties in falling asleep at bedtime, and 13% of these teens suffered from acute insomnia.

Such children get low grades, are depressed most of the time, suffer from complexes, face learning difficulties and above all, cannot cope with their problems. Children don’t complain of sleeplessness and therefore it is important for their parents to map their behavior and communicate about any symptoms with them.

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