Less Than 9 Hrs Sleep For Kids Is A Potential Health & Mental Threat, Wake Up Indian School

By D N Singh Just going around any school in India, it is a disgustingly common sight in Indian schools at the elementary level that young children have to leave their beds at an early hour like, say 5 am in order to make up for the classes which usually start at 7 to 7.30 am. Bleary eyed they get up, unwillingly forced in for the refreshing and unwillingly as well, take some bites of breakfast and rush for the transport piggybacking a school bag full with books and copies. What happens is that normally going to the bed at a little late like 11 pm and out of the bed at 5 am, obviously leaves the school age children with much less than nine hours of sleep. So, it is hardly a five to six hours sleep which can be best described as sleep deprivation leading to many complications. Although there had been serious thoughts into such a disorder in sleep by the experts in John Hopkins University that how mental and physical impacts take root from sleeplessness for the kids at the elementary level.  There had been suggestions in the recent past that, why not change the school timings from 7.30 am to 9 am. So, in majority parts in developed countries the timings have been changed so that a child completes his or her required quota of sleep at least for 9 hours. Whereas, quite in contrast, in some countries including in India, the schools at the elementary level adhere to the old pattern of early school hours. Where the children fall target to several sleep deprivation related complications. Thus the differences correlated with greater mental health problems, like depression, anxiety, and impulsive behaviours, in those who lacked sleep. Inadequate sleep was also linked to cognitive difficulties with memory, problem solving and decision making.