How Does Sleep Affect Success at School?

If your preschooler isn't getting the recommended 10-12 hours of total sleep daily, he should be. Research shows that even a one-hour deficit for children 3 and under might cause long-lasting behavioral and cognitive problems when they start elementary school. "Parents need to pay as much attention to sleep as they do to nutrition and other health issues," says Parents adviser Judith Owens, M.D., coauthor of "Take Charge of Your Child's Sleep". Here's how skimping on sleep affects preschool success.

By Katie Stuhler

Ocean Photography/Veer

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Attention Problems

When a child has difficulty listening to detailed instructions or focusing on planned activities or is slow to react to a question, lack of sleep is often the culprit. It also inhibits time management and task prioritization, Dr. Judith Owens says. Because of this, the child might miss out on information learned at school.

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Comments (5)

gomommygo wrote:

Success in school is very dependent on getting a good night's sleep the night before! I wrote an article on it here: http://gomommygosblog.wordpress.com/2012/02/18/tips-for-getting-kids-to-bed/

2/22/2012 03:10:36 PM Report Abuse

luv2scuba16 wrote:

Agree only one slide, just advertising nuisance to try to get you to sign up

8/22/2011 11:06:48 PM Report Abuse

Pitridge wrote:

yeah me too...

8/22/2011 01:52:31 PM Report Abuse

mitras221 wrote:

i see the same...only one slide

8/22/2011 10:25:37 AM Report Abuse

keira3739 wrote:

why is there only one slide? It says 1 out of 6 but there is no arrow button?