11th September 2013 9:00
By Blue Tutors
One of the tasks that private tutors take on when they work with students preparing for coursework and exams is keeping an eye on their students’ well-being. More than ever, students are working extremely hard to get the grades they require in order to continue in further education, and the pressure to perform well is immense. When students are at school in classes of up to 30, it can be difficult for teachers to keep an eye on students who are burning themselves out with study, or simply not leading a healthy lifestyle. This is something that home tutors are more likely to pick up on, and it is important that tutors emphasise the importance of balanced study and good sleep patterns.
A new study has been released recently which shows that more than half of all teenagers are sleep deprived. The researchers in the department of Neuroscience at Oxford university have said that although teenager’s sleep patterns can change as a result of hormonal fluctuations, greater use of screen-based technology is contributing to major sleep deficit in this age group. Teachers have reported an increase in the number of students falling asleep in class because they have been up late studying, or playing computer games and surfing the internet. The researchers commented that although teenagers need about 9 hours sleep a night to function well, many are not getting anything like that amount, and have erratic sleep patterns. They recommend that the importance of a good night’s sleep is emphasised to students, and this is something that home tutors are well placed to do when they advise students on how to approach their studies.
There are an increasing number of young people for whom late and all-nighters are the norm. if students have a large amount of revision to do, an all-nighter is considered the standard response by many, despite the fact that sleep deprivation will make it much harder for them to retain the information. Further, the popularity of online games has served to normalise the all-nighter, and as a result, students are coming into school tired with limited attention spans. The study warned that they suspected that in some cases, Attention Deficit Disorder had been misdiagnosed in teenagers who are simply not getting enough sleep. Both schools and home tutors need to emphasise the importance of sleep, and explain the impact of sleep deprivation on ability to concentrate on school study.