The association of sleep duration with grade point averages and absences among 9th graders in Georgia, USA

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the association between sleep measures (self-reported sleep duration and weekend catch-up sleep) and grade point average (GPA) and absences among 9th grade students from two racially and economically diverse high schools in a semi-rural county of north-central Georgia. Linear and Poisson regression models estimated the association between sleep measures and GPA and absences (separately), respectively. Analyses adjusted for gender, race/ethnicity, free/reduced-price school lunch status, and parental education. Sleep duration was significantly associated with both GPA and absences, such that for every one additional hour of sleep, GPA increased by 0.8 percentage points (b = 0.8, 95% CI:0.1,1.5) while the number of absences was lower by 6% (b = −0.05; OR = 0.94, 95% CI:0.91,0.98). Weekend catch-up sleep was also significantly and positively associated with absences (b = 0.04; OR = 1.04, 95% CI; 1.02, 1.07). Increasing sleep may be a strategy to improve GPA and reduce absences among teenagers. Future research should identify effective measures to lengthen sleep.