Improvements in Learning and Behaviors Post-Treatment of Some Sleep Disorders

In a 2001-2003 research study by Luginbuehl, results of data taken from 595 students nation-wide indicated that there was a strong correlation between Grade Point Average (GPA) and sleep problems: the more sleep problems students had, the lower their GPA’s were.  Furthermore, the more sleep problems children had, the more behavior problems they exhibited than students without sleep problems/disorders; the less sleep problems students had, the higher their GPAs were and they presented significantly less behavior problems than students with sleep disorders.  In the sample where the sleep problems were corrected, GPA gradually improved over a 1 - 2 year time period if the student was not mentally handicapped and if s/he was re-taught the skill deficits post-treatment.  Furthermore, for the students whose sleep problems were corrected (~70%), their behavior problems decreased significantly in 11-of-12 areas: distractibility, impulsivity, high activity level, irritability, tantrums, withdrawal, depression, moodiness, aggression, oppositional/defiance, and frustration; shyness did not change.  For the 30% whose sleep disorders were only partially corrected or not corrected at all, the parents reported little or no improvements in behaviors.

Luginbuehl, ML.  The initial development and validation study of the Sleep Disorders Inventory for Students.  Dissertation Abstracts International Section A:  Humanities and Social Sciences, Vol. 64(12-A), 2004, pp. 4376.

Go to the Training Video on Sleep Disorders to hear about many other research studies reporting significant improvements in children's cognition, learning, and behaviors post-correction of the sleep disorders.