According to a new study, poor sleep could encourage more negative effects of stress for students.
Research from Concordia University’s Center for Clinical Research in Health and the PERFORM Centre shows that quality sleep serves as a buffer to protect children from the impact of stress on their cortisol levels, which regulates immune, cardiovascular and metabolic systems.
A total of 220 children ages 8-18 years old had saliva samples taken to measure their cortisol levels as participants in the significant study. Along with their parents, the children answered questions regarding their bedtime routines, sleep habits, and stress.
Regardless of how long each child slept each night, if nightmares, snoring, nighttime awakenings, tossing and turning or other signs of poor sleep quality occurred, including not feeling refreshed in the morning, cortisol levels increased the risk of negative effects of stress.
Long-term exposure to high cortisol levels has been linked to depression, heart disease, weight gain control and many more serious health problems, while poor sleep only is enough to hurt memory, cognitive functioning, creativity, motor skills and other critical processes that help students learn.
Help your children get the proper amount of sleep by sticking to consistent bedtimes and wake up times, putting away electronics late in the evening, and the importance of quality rest each night.
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