Expatica news

Three in four pupils sleep at school

22 March 2005

BRUSSELS – Three in four Belgian pupils fall asleep at school, according to a new survey by the VUB university.

Neuropsychologist Karen Spruyt has shown that three in four pupils aged between three and 12 are not awake enough when they come to school.

The study warns that this situation could seriously disrupt school work, especially during reading activities.

Children who are sleepy at school often find it difficult to wake up in the morning and do not have a good night’s sleep.

It has also been revealed that they find it hard to fall asleep and do not sleep enough at the weekend.

Those who find it hard to stay awake in the classroom have on average 40 minutes sleep than other children.

They go to bed later and sleep less when they get there. According to Spruyt’s study, one child in four between six and 12 sleeps too little.

“It depends from one child to another. Most children sleep around one hour
less than they should and for some this is an hour and a half,” concludes the study.

It says parents are chiefly to blame for being too preoccupied with their own busy lives and for not noticing when their children play video games or send text messages when in bed.

[Copyright Expatica 2005]

Subject: Belgian news