Gulf students among most sleep-deprived worldwide

A new study conducted by Boston College and published by BBC outlines the countries in which students are suffering the most from lack of sleep. Among the most sleep-starved pupils are those living in the US, the Pacific countries, as well as some countries in the Gulf region.

According to the research, sleep deprivation is a very serious problem for children. That is due to the fact that less sleep leads to lower school performance. One of the scientists behind the study, Chad Minnich, believes that people generally are not aware of the major effect which sleep quality and quantity can have on our lives and work. Minnich adds that the team which organized the research has found that students who enjoy more hours of sleep score higher in school subjects like science, maths and reading.

The country in which pupils are the most sleep-starved is the US. There more than 70% of students aged 9-10 years suffer from regular lack of sleep. In addition, those aged 13-14 amount to the stunning 80%.

Another thing which the Boston College study discovered that both Pacific and Gulf countries are also ranked high in student sleep deprivation. In the Pacific, pupils in New Zealand and Australia were suffering the most from this problem. In the Gulf region, the most critical were the sleep levels for students in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Fortunately, the United Arab Emirates did not make its way to the negative top-five list. However, the country was not present among the regions where students get enough sleep. In the positive ranking dominate ex Soviet states. Kazakhstan, for example, takes the leading position on the list where student school performance is least affected by sleep. The country is followed by Azerbaijan and Slovakia. Pupils in Japan and Malta are also enjoying plenty of sleep hours since they are ranked at the fourth and fifth place in this category. According to the report, Asian countries in general are where students were found to have the most efficient and healthy sleep. Scientists believe that this is namely why children from the region score better in maths.

The study also tried to explain why sleep quality for students differ from one country to another. Boston College researchers are confident that sleep deprivation in children is closely connected to technology in kids’ bedrooms. Regions in which it is more common for children to have a TV, computer or a smartphone in the room sleep less than those in which children’s rooms are technology-free.

Therefore, if you want your kids do to better in school, ditch the TV from their room.

Countries where sleep deprivation hinders learning are:

• United States
• New Zealand
• Saudi Arabia
• Kuwait
• Australia

Countries where sleep has the least impact on school performance:

• Kazakhstan
• Azerbaijan
• Slovakia
• Japan
• Malta