Factors Influencing the Sleep Behavior of Primary School-aged Children in Macao

The school performance of students will definitely be affected if they have inadequate time to sleep. This study explored the factors influencing the sleep health. Fourteen children and their parents were invited to share their experiences, which were obtained through interviews that relied on semi-structured questions. The participating students ranged from grade 1 to grade 6 in primary schools. The 2 major themes discovered were sleep behavior and inadequate sleep. Sleep behavior appeared to be related to personal hygiene before sleep, school bedtime and weekend bedtime, and bedtime habits. Most of the students indicated that they postponed their bedtime on school days during test or exam weeks. School workload, extracurricular activities, and the environment may lead to inadequate sleep. The findings from this study highlight the urgent need for communication with, and education of, parents and school administrators to recognize that proper sleep behavior is essential to better school performance.