In June 2021, the Waseda University Shigenobu Shibata Laboratory and the Benesse Institute for Educational Research conducted a "Survey on Children's Life Rhythms and Health / Learning Habits" for 6th grade to 4rd grade high school students.As a result of compiling the analysis results, it was found that the proportion of children whose life rhythm is disturbed increases as the grade goes up.

 The Benesse Institute for Education, which conducts research on children's learning, believes that it is important to have healthy lifestyles (sleep, exercise, diet, proper media use, etc.) in order to establish learning habits. There is.

 Therefore, this time, we conducted a joint survey with Shigenobu Shibata Laboratory, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, which is conducting research on health and biological clocks (especially time nutrition research).We clarified the current state of lifestyle-related and learning habits of children and students from the 4th grade of elementary school to the 3rd grade of high school.

 As a result of the survey, the disorder of the life rhythm tended to increase as the grade went up.In addition, children with good mental health and good grades tended to lead a regular life.

 As the grade goes up, sleep time on weekdays and holidays decreases, and the night rhythm of life rhythm and the difference in life time between weekdays and holidays (occurrence of "social jet lag *") increase.In addition, the time spent watching the screens of smartphones / mobile phones, PCs, tablets, TVs, and games before going to bed (screen time) is increasing, which affects tiredness and drowsiness the next day.There was a tendency for the frequency of breakfast skipping to increase.

 In particular, third-year high school students sleep an average of 3 hours and 6 minutes on weekdays, while sleeping for more than 36 hours on holidays.Sleep deprivation (sleep debt) accumulated on weekdays tends to be resolved by sleeping on holidays, and as a result, social jet lag exceeds one hour on average.The number of children who eat breakfast every day has dropped to 8% of the total in the third year of high school.

 Next, when the grades were divided into strata, children with higher grades at each school stage answered that they had more regular sleep, meals, and learning than children with lower grades, and had no screen time before going to bed. There was a tendency to do.There was a positive association between regularity of life rhythm and grades.It is important to keep in mind a regular life rhythm as much as possible.

 Professor Shigenobu Shibata of Waseda University Faculty of Science and Engineering, who conducted the survey, said, "For elementary school students from upper grades to high school students, irregularities in the day of eating, learning, and sleeping, and during the week of weekdays and holidays. Focusing on the irregularities in the school, we were able to obtain very important data for studying the relationship between sleep, grades and mental health. Grades and learning habits are related to everyday lifestyles. It has been known for a long time, but I think that this survey gave us a detailed understanding of the current situation. On the other hand, the importance of a regular life rhythm is firmly communicated to children and parents. We need to outreach the results of research like this one to society in the future. "

 In future research, we plan to expand the survey to include children and parents in grades 3 and younger.

* Physical inconvenience may occur due to the difference in daily rhythm (social time difference) between weekdays and holidays.In this survey, social jet lag is also collectively referred to as social jet lag.

reference:[Benesse Education Research Institute] Waseda University Faculty of Science and Engineering Shibata Shigenobu Laboratory Benesse Education Research Institute "Survey on Children's Life Rhythm and Health / Learning Habits 2021"

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