Influence of the sleep on health, behavior and school performance of students of 2nd and 3rd cycle of basic school

Abstract

Introduction: Sleep is a vital function, playing a central role in health and quality of life. Objectives: To determine the quantity and quality of sleep of the students according to their residence milieu, gender and school grade; identify external factors that influence sleep; inquire the influence of sleep quality in physical and emotional health, behavior and learning in students. Methods: We conducted a transversal study, predominantly quantitative. As an instrument for data collection we construct and validate a questionnaire. The sample included 502 individuals, aged between 9 and 17, 249 females and 253 males. The data were treated statistically, and a descriptive and an inferential analysis were done. We used the Student T test for comparisons between sexes and milieus (rural and urban). Chi-square test was also applied to verify the relation of dependence between several variables. Results: Students from rural milieu tend to go to bed sooner than those in urban areas (p<0,0001); girls tend to wake up earlier than boys during the week (p=0,004). Across the school levels a progressive reduction in time of sleep was observed. The majority of students have multimedia equipment in the bedroom, which seems to delay the moment to go to the bed. Students with poor sleep hygiene reveal a higher incidence of negative symptoms, a not always appropriate behavior, and feel more difficulties concerning with attention and concentration (p<0,0001), thus leading to a weaker school performance (p<0,0001). Conclusions: The results reinforce the importance of good sleep hygiene to improve students’ personal, social and academic life.