Less sleep, better test scores

Is your teenager getting enough sleep?  New research suggests more isn't necessarily better when it comes to test scores. Federal guidelines recommend teens get nine hours a night but some researchers are questioning that recommendation. Researchers at Brigham Young University studied more than 1,700 students and compared their standardized test scores to their average amount of sleep per night. They found 10 year-olds performed best with about nine hours of sleep.  For 12 year olds, about eight hours was optimal, and 16 year olds scored best averaging about seven hours of sleep per night. Study author Eric Eide said that's reassuring for parents. "So when they read our study and find out that 7 hours is really fine, then that makes them feel better about their teenagers' sleep patterns," said Eide. Not everyone is convinced seven hours is sufficient. "I think that my experience is, more often than not, seeing sleep-deprived students with their heads on desks who look as though they need a little bit of cold water on their face," said high school teacher Rebecca Richardson. Some students said, research aside, they need their sleep to do their best. "I definitely perform better if I get more sleep," said high student Ciera Washington.  "If I get less sleep, I'm dead in the morning, and I'm dreading the entire day." The study only looked at the optimal sleep time in terms of performing well on standardized tests. Experts said it's certainly possible more sleep is needed for overall health and even optimal learning in school. From: ClickOn