A growing body of research shows the connection between good sleep and grades. Studies indicate that sleep plays a vital role in the way children learn and develop – good sleep impacts a child’s memory, problem-solving skills, language development, behavior, and executive function. Investing in a good quality bed for your growing child will pay off in many ways – they will be refreshed, healthier, and more successful at school and sports.
A study in the U.S. has found a link between the amount of sleep 10th-12th-graders get and their school grades – the teenagers who had the least amount of sleep were also the ones with the lowest grades, according to their parents. Good sleep and grades are closely related.
Emerging evidence also demonstrates how poor quality of sleep – caused by interrupted sleep during the night – can be associated with challenging behaviors, mood swings, poor attention, and lower school performance.
If your child often wakes up during the night, the reason may be a bad quality of his/her bed or mattress. Investing in a new bed or mattress is often considered an unnecessary expense, as the younger kids often inherit a bed from their older siblings or cousins. However, you may want to think twice before accepting a hand-me-down mattress for your child.
Dangers of second-hand mattresses
Old mattresses can not only disturb your child’s sleep and school grades but can also seriously affect their health.
Old mattresses are nursery gardens for germs
Hand down mattresses usually have worn surfaces which can affect your child’s breathing and allergies. In other words, mattresses are huge sponges that absorb sweat, saliva, body oils, and other body fluids making your child’s bed a playground for bacteria and germs. More precisely, used mattresses can house anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million microscopic bugs.
These dust mites may cause runny noses, sneezing, watery eyes, itchiness, coughing, and difficulty breathing. Therefore, used mattresses often cause or aggravate asthma, allergies, and illnesses that are responsible for keeping your child awake half night. Combined with late-night activities such as before-bed screen-time, this can have an important negative effect on your child’s quality of sleep and consequently their behavior and academic performance during the day.
Old mattresses provide poor support for your child’s back
Older mattresses are known to sag over time. This means that a hand-me-down mattress in your child’s bed may be uncomfortable and unsupportive to their developing spine. And again, this can interfere with their ability to get a decent sleep during the night.
Poor sleep can have various consequences such as reduced control of attention and excessive daytime sleepiness. These often affects a child’s concentration in classes and may result in poor grades. Help your child get good sleep and grades by investing in a Sealy mattress. Take some time to browse the Sealy website and view our range of mattresses.
Why investing in a new bed is a good idea
Purchasing a new bed is investing in your child. Children’s overall quality of health and happiness considerably relies on how well they sleep. School-age kids need between nine and eleven hours of sleep in a comfortable and supportive bed. To help healthy sleep habits in children, teach your kids about healthy sleeping patterns and make their room quiet, snug, and cozy.
Good quality sleep will boost your child’s memory and concentration, improve their mood, enhance emotional control, prevent or alleviate mood swings, and improve their overall well-being. Also, a good new bed will provide support to your child’s growing body and help them relax during the night. Finally, studies show that good sleep prevents challenging behaviors and helps your child go to school refreshed and well-prepared, which is a recipe for good grades.
