With the academic year at the half-way mark, millions of high school students are preparing to take their mid-term exams. Unfortunately, research is increasingly showing that more and more teens are not getting enough sleep, which can have a negative impact on their grades. Teens are no longer adhering to “lights out”. Among the reasons for these changes in sleeping patterns are increased part-time working hours, talking on the cell phone, computer usage and watching television at bedtime. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), success on exams in the classroom is tied to sleep.

William Kohler, MD, medical director of the Florida Sleep Institute, director of pediatric sleep services at University Community Hospital in Tampa, and an AASM pediatric sleep expert, says that teens need more sleep than adults because their circadian rhythm is easily disrupted. An adequate quantity and quality of sleep is necessary for optimal learning, and Dr. Kohler encourages teens to establish appropriate bedtime hours and a healthy sleep environment to ensure at least nine to 10 hours of quality sleep.

“A student’s performance in the classroom is dictated by the amount of sleep he or she gets the night before,” says Dr. Kohler. “A teen who regularly gets enough sleep will have improved academic performance, a positive attitude towards their education, and be able to better interact socially with their peers and teachers. Students can also remember better what they learned if they get a good night’s sleep after learning the task. Sleep deprivation, on the other hand, increases the incidence of academic failure, depression and behavioral problems.”

Daniel S. Lewin, PhD, of the Children’s National Medical Center at the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C, agrees that, in today’s society, in between school, after-school activities and socializing with friends, sleep often takes a back seat among teenagers.

“Weighing the importance of sleep and the essential activities is hard, and all too often in our current culture of achieve-achieve-achieve, sleep loses,” says Dr. Lewin. “The bad news is that when sleep loses, you lose. Here’s why: adequate sleep on a nightly basis is essential for learning, memory, safety and even preventing weight gain.”

Dr. Lewin says that every now and then, a short sleep period is ok and even necessary, but some care should be exercised the next day because the less you sleep, the greater the risk of injury and getting into an automobile accident. Sleep loss night after night leads to poorer grades, difficulty getting along with friends and health problems in the long term, adds Dr. Lewin.

“As mid-term exams approach, remember that adequate sleep will lead to improved memory,” says Dr. Lewin. “Do not stay up late cramming for the test the next day because there is a good probability that the loss of sleep will erode your performance, and last-minute bits of information will not help much. There is some good news. If you sleep for an adequate period of time, then rehearsing or practicing your test material at bedtime will be very likely to improve your recall.”

Research has shown that inadequate and disruptive sleep can lead to problems with behavior and mood along with difficulty with cognition and performance in the classroom. A study published in a recent issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that students who have trouble sleeping do not perform as well in school as students without sleep complaints.

Several recent studies outline the adverse effects of poor sleep among teens with regards to their success in school:

- Students with symptoms of sleep disorders are more likely to receive poor grades in classes such as math, reading and writing than peers without symptoms of sleep disorders.

- The brain responses of those children who don’t get enough sleep can accurately predict the impact sleep loss has on their ability to pay attention during the course of a day.

- Research examining the impact of sleep in school-age children suggests that even mild sleep loss produces marked deficits in their cognitive development and functioning. Sleep restriction can alter children’s initial stages of speech perception, which could contribute to disruptions in cognitive and linguistic functioning - skills necessary for reading and language development and comprehension.

- Teenagers who stay up late on school nights and make up for it by sleeping late on weekends are more likely to perform poorly in the classroom. This is because, on weekends, they are waking up at a time that is later than their internal body clock expects. The fact that their clock must get used to a new routine may affect their ability to be awake early for school at the beginning of the week when they revert back to their old routine.

- Aggressive behavior and bullying, common among schoolchildren, are likely to have multiple causes, one of which may be an undiagnosed sleep-related breathing disorder.

- Consuming caffeine may affect the sleep and school performance of young teens. Students who consume caffeine wake up later in the morning on school days. The study links waking up later for school with having a lower grade-point average. Students who consume caffeine later in the day also are more likely to miss school.

- Over the past decade, children have been going to bed later and sleeping less. This can be attributed, in part, to a lack of awareness in the community concerning sleep need in children and how the amount of sleep a child should get each night is dependent on one’s age. The Sleep-Side Rule is found to be an effective classroom tool that improves children’s understanding of the relationship between age and sleep need.

The following tips are provided by the AASM to help teens get the most out of their sleep. Parents should be aware of these guidelines and should use them to help their teen develop healthy sleep habits:

- Try to get close to nine hours of sleep each night. Get enough sleep so that you wake up refreshed and alert for the day.

- Try to wind down and relax before bedtime. Avoid intense studying, arguing and exercising. Stop playing video or computer games and enjoy some quiet time before bed.

- Avoid bright lights in the evening. Darkness lets your body know it’s time to sleep.

- Try to get bright light in the morning. This helps reset your clock for the next night. Turn on bright lights and open your blinds when you get up. Getting exercise in the morning also may help.

- Try to catch up on any lost sleep when you can. Naps can be helpful to catch up with lost sleep, but don’t nap in the evening. Sleeping later on weekends can help catch up with lost sleep. But do not sleep later than two to three hours past your normal weekday wake up time, especially on Sunday mornings.

- Avoid stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine in the afternoon and evening. Caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol can disturb your sleep. Do not drink alcohol. The combined effects of sleepiness with alcohol are very dangerous.

- Do not drive if you are sleepy. Driving sleepy can be as dangerous as driving drunk.

Compiled by the American Association of Sleep Medicine

It’s not enough to simply attend class if you want a decent education. You also need to listen to what’s being said by your teachers – and also your classmates.

Be Prepared to Listen – This means you’ve done all the necessary preparation for the class you’re about to take. You’ve read the notes, completed any advance study work, and read over the notes you took from the last session. You should be in a frame of mind that is open to new thoughts and ideas. Having the right attitude in class can make the difference between hearing what’s said, and not listening at all!

Listen with Purpose and Focus – Know what you’re supposed to be learning in each class, what the class outcomes are, and then listen to make sure that you hear these during the class. Focus on what the teacher has to say, and not on what’s going on around you or collecting your thoughts for the next class.

Listen with Objectivity – You won’t always agree with what your teacher says. You may disagree with ideas, or with the answers to solutions, but you should always disagree with respect. Listen to their argument and then frame your response to that which shows how you came to your opinion. You should also listen to your classmates who have different opinions. From listening to all the opinions, you will have a greater understanding of the subject area.

Listen with your Pen – Let the words from your teacher come through your ears and work down through your arm to your notebook!Keeping concise and accurate notes means that you’ll put yourself into a place of having the right resources necessarily for any homework assignments as well as preparing for the next session.

Listen, even when you Don’t Understand – It’s easy to switch off when you’re hearing something that doesn’t make much sense, but rather than doing that, ask your teacher to clarify the subject again. Chances are you aren’t the only one who didn’t understand, but by getting your teacher to go back over it, you’ll ensure that you not learn something; you’ll also let your teacher know that they were going too fast and need to slow down when discussing difficult subject matter.

Seeing and doing are major parts of your education, but when you add positive active listening skills into the skill set, it leads to a mix that will enable you to make the best possible use of the education opportunities you have available.

What to do if you are Considering Math Tutoring for your Child

For many students, mathematics is the most difficult subject that they will face in school.  However, it is also one of the most important.  All college entry exams have a major math component and all quality universities require a certain level of performance in mathematical school work before they will even consider the student for admission.  For students who find that they are falling behind where they need to be in mathematics, math tutoring is an excellent option.  A few hours per week of one on one mathematical instruction can make the difference between failure and mastery. 

The first step in the process is to determine whether or not math tutoring would be helpful to your child at all.  If he or she has always been a good mathematics student but seems to be suffering from a string of recent poor performance, the first step to take is to speak with the child’s teacher to see if he or she has any insight into the situation.  More often than not, the teacher will be able to point out issues that the parents may have overlooked or may not be aware of.  Sometimes these problems are of a social nature (i.e. perhaps the student does not get along with classmates or gets along with them too well), behavioral, or it may be something as simple as the student having difficulty seeing the blackboard and may need glasses or a new prescription. 

If it seems that the problem really is a true difficulty with the mathematical subject that is being presented, it might be time to consider looking in to math tutoring for your child.  One great way to find qualified math tutors is to go through a service that has already done the job of screening and qualifying such as http://www.AimHighTutors.com

This will ensure that the math tutor is not only skilled in mathematics but can also communicate complicated concepts in a way that your student can easily digest the material.

Read. Read More. Repeat.

It can’t be said enough: Reading to your child during these formative years is perhaps the most important learning activity you’ll ever share with them. So do it often!

• Reading expands your child’s vocabulary… ignites your child’s imagination..teaches proper grammar and syntax…and helps your child excel in every subject.

Tips to improve reading and enhance comprehension

*Teach your child the letters of the alphabet from pre-school.

*Read out loud to your child or have your child read out loud to you - for 15 minutes every night.

*As your child nears kindergarten, continue reading aloud and play rhyming games to enhance his or her awareness of phonics.

1. Make a schedule, and try to stick to it. This is probably the most important tip. Having a schedule provides you with structure, and is a good way to prevent falling into the trap of running out of time in the end. It also ensures that you always have a task at hand, instead of sitting around bored, wondering what you should do. I usually go as far as creating a schedule down to the hour, but depending upon how much time you have to study, this wouldn’t always be necessary.

2. Get up every day at a similar hour. This obviously goes along with #1, but it’s always a good idea. In addition to getting up around the same time every day, it’s also a good idea to “try” and go to sleep at a reasonable hour every night.

3. Don’t forget to schedule in “fun time” or time off from studying to relax. This is incredibly important, and will prevent the dreaded “burn-out.” If you’re lucky enough to have a dog (or other pet), take them for a walk, or play a game of fetch. Playing with my dogs is one of my most favorite de-stressors. If you’re somewhat obsessed with cleaning (like I am), take off 20-30 minutes to wash your dishes or do some laundry. Do you enjoy being outside? If so, take a walk around the block or to a nearby park. You may have noticed that all of these activities involve physical activity. There’s an obvious reason for that. Unless you are studying while on the elliptical trainer (which I actually don’t recommend), you are probably sitting on your butt for hours at a time. We’re med students. We know that moving around and getting your blood flowing is advantageous to both your mind and body. Don’t forget what you know.

4. Do questions. This is a great way to learn. Use an online question bank, or one of the thousands of prep books. And don’t just look at the correct answers. Actually figure out why you got the question wrong (and even right), and learn from your mistakes.

5. Don’t study what you already know. This is pretty obvious, but people sometimes do it anyway. Stop wasting your time!

6. Caffeine is your friend. Never forget your friends.

7. Change it up! If you find yourself getting incredibly bored, and wondering if chewing your leg off might actually be a more enjoyable experience, change something! Either change the subject you’re studying, how you’re studying it, or where you’re studying. If you’re lucky enough to live by a beach, go there and crack open your books! It will save your sanity, and also your innocent leg.

8. Take the day or night off before your exam. Don’t forget to do this! I don’t care if you’re behind, or you think you can stuff more information into your head if you keep studying. Don’t do it! And especially don’t stay up all night before the exam. This might be the worst idea ever. Let all those pharmacology drugs simmer in your brain for a while. Give the information time to cement. Have a nice dinner or go see a movie (preferably a completely mindless comedy) and reward yourself for all your hard work.