The detection rate of anxiety and depression among primary school students is more than 10%, and the sleep problems are more than 40%.

How to sleep well has become a popular science among migrant workers.

According to the "China Sleep Big Data Report" released by the Chinese Sleep Research Association, about 38.2% of the country's population, or more than 500 million people, will have various sleep problems in 2022.

However, what you may not expect is that the sleep problems that plague thousands of social animals have actually found primary school students.

With less activity, elementary school students are more likely to sleep deprived

In fact, the sleep duration of primary school students is generally not up to standard.

In a 2021 study of primary school students in Shanghai, 93% of them slept less than the 10 hours required by the Ministry of Education.

In the same year, a study of fourth- and fifth-grade primary school students in 117 counties (districts) in Shanxi Province showed that eighty percent of primary school students did not get enough sleep, and the median daily sleep time of primary school students was 8.57 hours.

Inactivity between classes, sedentary times due to long classes and lack of exercise can make the situation worse.

Recently, the phenomenon of "captivity between classes" has attracted much attention. In Caixin's "Ten Minutes Between Classes That Disappeared", some parents in Beijing found that their children had been in school for a period of time, and their mood was significantly lower than before. Later, I found out that it was because I was often not allowed to go out of the classroom activities at school, and my feet were numb when I sat in class, and the teacher would stare at the classroom after class, so I could only go to the toilet, drink water, or clean up the stationery and books on the table.

There are also bloggers who took pictures of elementary school students sitting and falling asleep with homework in their hands on the bus, and sighed "Are children so stressed now?"

Elementary school students who are troubled by sleep problems

Sleep problems in primary school students go far beyond not getting enough sleep.

A study that analyzed the relevant literature over the past 10 years found that in recent years, the most serious psychological problem among primary school students in China is sleep problems, with a detection rate of 25.2%. The prevalence of mental health problems differs from epidemiological prevalence, with the former having a lower cut-off point and encompassing varying severity, while the latter is determined by strict criteria and is generally related to severe psychological disorders.

It is worth noting that sleep problems include lack of sleep, insomnia, sleep disorders, etc.

In other countries, the detection rate of sleep problems among primary school students is mostly less than 10%, compared with Chinese primary school students, the sleep problems are significantly more prominent.

In addition, the detection rate of sleep problems in elementary school students is higher than that of junior high and high school students.

On Xiaohongshu, there are often some anxious parents asking for help from their children who can't sleep well and what to do.

According to the White Paper on Sleep Disorders in Chinese Children and Adolescents released by iResearch, among primary school students aged 6-12, the frequency of nightmares, waking up in the middle of the night, waking up at night and waking up more often than middle school students is higher than that of middle school students.

In addition to the impact of physical activity on sleep, schoolwork stress is also often considered to be a key factor affecting the sleep of primary school students.

In a 2019 survey conducted by the Social Survey Center of China Youth Daily, the highest proportion of parents believed that too much homework left in school was the main factor affecting their children's sleep, followed by the impact of extracurricular classes and extra homework.

Although the "double reduction" has indeed reduced the operating pressure, the extent is very limited. According to a study by the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in May this year, after the "double reduction", students in the lower grades of primary school have reduced their homework time by an average of 0.5 minutes per day, taking an average of 56.6 minutes per day, and the average time for middle and senior students to write homework is only 6.3 minutes less, or nearly 80 minutes a day.

Other influencing factors include excessive screen use, noise and other sleep environments, as well as parents' sleep habits.

In addition, in an interview with Deng Fawen, chief physician of the Department of Pediatrics of Changsha Fourth Hospital, it was mentioned that family disharmony, tension between parents, and interpersonal pressure such as being excluded by classmates will also affect children's sleep.

Elementary school students who don't sleep well are more likely to have emotional problems

Worryingly, sleep is likely to be associated with more emotional problems.

A 2022 study analyzed that primary and secondary school students with emotional and behavioral problems, depressive symptoms, or anxiety symptoms were significantly more likely to develop sleep disorders. Among them, emotional and behavioral problems include emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, inattention, peer interaction problems, and so on.

Insomnia is highly associated with anxiety and depression, and insomnia is often considered a signal from the body of people with anxiety and depression.

According to the "2020 Depression Patient Group Survey Report" of the Institute of Depression, physical symptoms such as insomnia are the reasons that prompt nearly 40% of depressed patients to go to the hospital. In contrast, the psychological stress itself prompted patients to visit the doctor at 42%, which was only slightly higher than that.

Sleep problems in primary school children may be just the most obvious tip of the iceberg of children's physical and mental conditions. However, if parents can pay attention to this phenomenon in time and realize the possible psychological problems behind it, it is not too late.

Author|Heather Design丨Dysprosium Lu Ruifeng Editor丨Chi Er Producer丨Tencent News Gu Yu Studio

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