Study: More Sleep May Aid Kids’ Behavior

Kids who get even a little more sleep may behave better in school, a small new study suggests. The study included 34 kids, ages 7 to 11. They did not have sleep disorders. They got an average of 9 hours of sleep a night. They also had no problems with mental health or learning. Children were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group went to bed an hour earlier than usual for 5 days in a row. The other group stayed up an hour later than usual for 5 days. On average, the first group got about one-half hour of extra sleep daily. The second group got about an hour less. Before the study, teachers answered questions about each child’s mood and behavior in class. After the study, they answered the same questions. Teachers ranked the kids in the sleep-deprived group as more restless, impulsive and moody than they were before the study.