Teachers and researchers alike know that lack of sleep can lead to everything from reduced concentration, to behavior problems, to learning disabilities for young students. Now two new studies—one from the United States and one from Israel—take a look at pre-schoolers and kindergarteners.

A new study published in the January issue of Pediatrics suggests that pre-school children who do not get the right quality and quantity of sleep are more likely to have problems in school. The researchers looked at 5,000 children and found that a third of the children aged 4 to 5 years old had mild to moderate sleep problems, such as difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. The researchers say they fear these children are more likely to have behavior problems and health related issues, just like their older counterparts with sleep problems. The study urges parents and pediatricians to take pre-schoolers’ sleep habits seriously.

Meanwhile, a team of researchers from the University of Haifa in Israel has studied sleep and learning readiness in kindergarteners. They discovered that kindergarteners who were evaluated and found unready for first grade had a higher rate of sleep disorders than their peers who were found ready to move to the next grade. Dr. Iris Afek conducted the study under the direction of Dr. Oren Lamm and Professor Giora Pillar.

The goal of the study was a search for a connection between sleep patterns and reading readiness. The study looked at 148 kindergarteners. Ninety-eight of the children began first grade on schedule and 50 spent an additional year in kindergarten following the recommendation of their teachers. The findings showed a marked difference between the sleep patterns of the two groups of children. "The children who were not ready for first grade had more fitful sleep at night," Afek said. "Their sleep patterns were less restful and characterized by various disturbances."

In addition, the study also evaluated the academic achievements of the first-graders and found a clear connection between healthy sleep patterns and good grades. Afek recommends that sleep disorders in children be evaluated and treated while children are still in nursery school in order to avoid resulting developmental delays.