Interactive Associations between Physical Activity and Sleep Duration in Relation to Adolescent Academic Achievement

Abstract

Purpose: The present study aimed to examine independent and interactive associations between physical activity and sleep duration with adolescent academic achievement. Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the 2019 cycle of the US-based Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. A total of 13,677 American adolescents in grades 9 through 12 (MAGE = 16.06 ± 1.24 years; 50.9% female) self-reported their sleep and physical activity behavior as well as their grades. Linear regression models fit with cubic splines were computed to capture potential non-linear associations. Results: Findings for the independent effect models revealed significant curvilinear relationships between physical activity and sleep with academic achievement wherein optimal grades were associated with 7–9 h/night of sleep and 5–7 days/week of physical activity. A significant physical activity by sleep interaction was also observed for academic achievement, which demonstrated that the association between sleep duration and academic achievement is not uniform across levels of physical activity engagement, and tradeoffs may exist. Conclusions: Overall, the results help to identify different combinations of physical activity and sleep behavior associated with optimal academic achievement and suggest that a one-size-fits-all approach to physical activity and sleep recommendations may not be adequate for promoting academic achievement during adolescence.

Associations between physical activity, screen time, sleep time and selected academic skills in 8/9-year-old children

“…This inadequacy translates into low levels of PA in school-aged children and adolescents (Global Matrix, GM 2.0; GM 3.0). Furthermore, for young people, the indicated state is not improved by the progressive access to electronic devices, which may be conducive to a sedentary lifestyle and, consequently, negatively affect their cognitive development and lower school achievement, as indicated in studies conducted by other researchers [ 22 ]. For this reason, given the current state of knowledge, our study aimed to investigate how PA, screen time, and sleep duration influence the level of school competence among young individuals of both sexes.…”

“…A study by Dewald et al [ 21 ] found strong associations between three sleep variables [sleep quality ( r = 0.096), duration ( r = 0.069), and sleepiness ( r = -0.133)] and school performance, especially in boys. Yet, Brown et al [ 22 ], analysing risky behaviours in a sample of 13,677 American adolescents in grades 9 through 12, discovered significant curvilinear relationships between PA, sleep, and academic achievement. Optimal grades were associated with 7–9h of sleep per night and 5–7h of PA per week.…”

Attracting and developing STEMM talent toward excellence and innovation

“…These include, for example, sufficient sleep and physical fitness. The extent of existing organismic capital (e.g., sleep patterns and physical activities) shows correlations to performance already in the early phase of talent development 86 and gains further importance in the course of talent development due to increasingly extensive learning processes 87 . The same applies to attentional learning capital , which refers to the quantitative and qualitative attentional resources a person can direct toward learning.…”