‘Lack of sleep affecting academic achievement’

A new international study, conducted by researchers at Boston College, concludes that Saudi Arabia has the third-highest number of sleep-deprived students in the world, resulting in poor learning and academic performance.
The study found that 68 percent of 9 and 10-year-olds suffering from lack of sleep according to teachers, beating the international average of 47 percent.
The top five countries where sleep hampers learning are the United States, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Kuwait, while the countries with the least number of sleep-deprived students are Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Slovakia, Japan and Malta.
The results came from data collected for global education rankings, from assessments taken by more than 900,000 students in 50 countries whose academic performance, mainly in mathematics and science, are affected due to lack of sleep.
“In a study we conducted in Riyadh and published in Singapore Medical Journal, among a thousand elementary school students, sleep duration was shorter in Saudi school-aged children, compared to published data in other countries,” says Professor Ahmed BaHammam, director of the university sleep disorders center, college of medicine at King Saud University.
BaHammam says that predictors of short nighttime sleep duration during weekdays included irregular bedtime, playing computer games after 8 p.m., watching television at bedtime or taking daytime naps.
“Children who have regular bedtime slept 28.8 minutes longer. Moreover, children whose mothers had high school education or higher had longer nighttime sleep duration compared to children whose mothers had a lower educational level,” says BaHammam.
New research now shows that lack of sleep is affecting academic achievement in Saudi Arabia. Experts say that children’s natural sleep rhythms are in constant conflict with school timetables. Teenagers in particular find it difficult to go to bed early but need up to 12 hours of sleep.
Sleep deprivation is endemic among children across the Kingdom and teachers have to adapt their lessons accordingly.
“We have noted that sleep-deprived children of all ages seem inattentive and have difficulty concentrating,” says Nouf Al-Amoudi, a Saudi teacher. “We make our classes more engaging to these students, so that they don’t feel lazy or sleepy during school hours.”
According to the Boston College study, sleep experts say that the low levels of sleep among Saudi students is due to the availability of technology such as smartphones, laptops and tablets. The light from the screens makes it hard to fall asleep.
“Several studies have shown that working with computers, or other devices that emit light, results in delayed bedtime,” says BaHammam. “It is thought that light emitted from these devices results in suppression of melatonin secretion, the hormone needed to induce sleep. Melatonin is very sensitive to light as the gland secreting melatonin is linked to the retina in the eye.”
BaHammam advises parents to pay special attention to their children’s sleep duration and quality. “Good health and good mental growth need good sleep. There is compelling evidence indicating that poor or short sleep affects academic performance in students at all levels. In addition, poor sleep due to health problems such as snoring affects children’s school performance.”
“In a recent study published this year, we found that decreased nighttime sleep time, late bedtimes during weekdays and weekends and increased daytime sleepiness are negatively associated with academic performance in medical students.”