Research Found That A Sleepy Sixth-Grader Will Perform In Class Like A Mere Fourth-Grader

Did you know that children — from elementary school through high school — get an hour less sleep each night than they did thirty years ago? The authors of Nurture Shock, Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, investigated the consequences of this. Below is a list of the ones that I found currently relevant to my family (you may click on the links for more):

• A Slightly Sleepy Sixth-Grader Will Perform In Class Like A Mere Fourth-Grader
• A Good Night’s Sleep Is Important For Long-Term Learning
• Sleep-Deprived People Fail To Recall Pleasant Memories, Yet Recall Gloomy Memories Just Fine
• Dropping Below Eight Hours of Sleep Doubled The Rate of Clinical-Level Depression
• Shifting Weekend Sleep (Going to bed later but waking up later while still getting the same number of hours of sleep) Leads To Lower IQ Points
• The More You Learn During The Day, The More Sleep You Need
• Every Fifteen Minutes Counts

What Happened When Some Forward-Thinking Schools Pushed Back School Start Times By One Hour?

• Higher SAT Scores: Math SAT Scores Increased 56 Points, Verbal SAT Scores Increased 156 Points
• Teenage Car Accidents Decreased 25%

The CDC now recommends that high schools consider later starts: its representatives are now opining that a change in school start times can change lives.

Related Content:

• Sleep: “The Lost Hour”
• Sleep Deprivation: How Do Parents Manage It?!
• Impact of Sleep: Interesting Things Didn’t Know
• Finally Liberated To Sleep!

My Notes On Sleep:

• Sleep
• Sleep’s Impact on the Brain
• Sleep’s Influence on “Intelligence” and School Performance
• Benefits of Good Sleep Habits
• Sleep Tips
• Five Elements of Healthy Sleep
• Prevent Poor Sleep Habits
• Biological Rhythms

 A friend of mine forwarded an email about a program (flash cards, DVDs, books, etc) that teaches young children to read.  I gave it a try after seeing some of the testimonials and I’d recommend it!  My daughter loves the flash cards, videos, and books.  The video below demonstrates what some babies are capable of doing.  More information can be found at http://www.yourbabycan.com/.