Moms, here’s one more reason to get the kids to bed earlier: letting children get as little as 27 extra minutes of sleep on school nights makes a significant improvement on their behavior in school.

We all know sleep is always good for our bodies and helps us--especially kids-- with anything that requires mental alertness. But now, a study featured on MedicalNewsToday.com has shown that a bit more sleep has some psychiatric benefits as well.

Researchers from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, worked with 37 healthy children between seven to 11 years old and separated them into two groups: one group slept an hour more than usual for five nights, while the other slept an hour less for five nights. None of them had daytime naps. Those who had longer sleep hours were found to be more emotionally stable, as they were less restless and impulsive.

Interestingly, though, those who lost an hour had better sleep quality. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s okay to allow kids to stay up late on a daily basis. Establish regular sleeping hours for your children and give them activities that will allow them to wind down and prep up for bedtime.

(Photo by Debra Morgan via Flickr Creative Commons)