How does sleeping more or less affect us?

Without enough sleep, children and teens can have problems with attention, memory, and problem-solving. Sleep deprivation can also contribute to emotional issues and behavior problems that may affect academic achievement.

Making sleep a priority is important for parents who want their children to succeed in school. Understanding the causes and consequences of poor sleep and knowing how to address it can allow parents to help children and teens in their academic pursuits.

Sleep is fundamental to health for children of all ages, including adolescents; however, sleeping problems and their effects on school performance can change based on age. Most notably, teenagers face unique sleep challenges that can give rise to difficulties in school.

A major problem that confronts adolescents is a biological change to their sleep timing that begins around the start of puberty. This change pushes back their internal clock, often by around two hours, making teens inclined to be “night owls.”

Because they go to bed later, many teens are unable to get enough sleep if they have to wake up early in the morning for school or other activities. As a result, average nightly sleep decreases by 40 to 50 minutes between the ages of 13 and 19.

Without enough rest, teens are more likely to suffer from the cognitive, behavioral, and physical effects of sleep deprivation that are detrimental to school performance. In addition, because they often feel most alert later in the afternoon or evening, many teens struggle with classes and exams early during the school day.