Study Reveals More Sleep is Related to Teen School Achievement than Screen Time

Illustration of a teenager falling asleep while studying. Sleep quality is related to school performance and social life of adolescents. Illustration photo: Pexels.

JAKARTA - Sleep quality emerges as the most prominent lifestyle factor in relation to the school performance and social life of adolescents. This finding is especially seen in children who experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, or other mental health problems.

Euronews quoted Monday, August 10, saying the findings came from a study of children aged 10 to 13 years. Researchers compared four lifestyle factors, namely sleep quality, screen time, physical activity, and diet.

Screen time is the time spent using devices such as mobile phones, tablets, computers, or other streaming devices.

"We expected sleep to be an important factor, but we didn't expect it to be so clear compared to other lifestyle factors, especially screen time," said the study's lead author from the University of California, Davis, Jason Smucny.

Researchers used data from more than 6,000 participants to look at academic achievement and more than 7,000 participants to assess social problems.

The results show that children and adolescents with symptoms of depression, anxiety, or experiences that resemble symptoms of psychosis tend to have worse academic and social life achievements.

However, researchers found some links between mental health problems and academic achievement and social life related to lifestyle habits, especially sleep quality.

"These findings suggest that sleep quality is one of the important factors that link the early symptoms of mental health problems with declining academic performance," the researchers wrote.

According to a study cited by Euronews, poor sleep is associated with daytime fatigue, attention problems, and decreased executive function.

Executive function is a brain ability that helps a person regulate attention, plan things, make decisions, and control behavior. This ability is important in learning activities.

The relationship is also seen in social life. Sleep disorders can worsen irritability and the tendency to withdraw from socializing. This condition can make it more difficult for teenagers to maintain relationships with others.

The senior author of the study, Tara Niendam, as quoted by Euronews, said parents, educators, and health workers usually pay great attention to symptoms of anxiety and depression.

However, for children and families, what often feels immediate is how the condition affects school, relationships with friends, and the ability to face daily activities.

"This study suggests that sleep may be one of the pathways linking mental health to these real-world impacts," Niendam said.

According to Niendam, sleeping habits are one of the things that parents and families can improve.

"Healthy sleep will not solve all mental health problems, but a good sleep routine is a practical step to support children's emotional well-being and daily activities," he said.