By Craig Curtis

A new study says that Chinese students are getting less sleep than their peers in Western countries, calling into question the appropriateness of academic pressures placed on children in China as a growing number of them suffer health problems linked to sleep deprivation.

Released earlier this week, the report  by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, comprising 12 years of research, looked at students across the country aged up to 18. It says that Chinese primary school students sleep an average of 45 minutes less than children in the US and Europe, while high school students nationwide manage with an hour less compared to their pupils from Western nations.

The study further attributes the sleep deprivation to an increasing number of health problems amongst Chinese youth, including obesity and premature abnormalities in blood pressure and sugar levels.

The report warns that a lack of sleep makes children more vulnerable to emotional instability, and increases their chances of picking up bad habits like smoking. The students are also more likely to become withdrawn in social settings amongst their peers, more prone to impulsive behavior, depression, and even suicide, all of which impede upon the quality of life for younger generations, the study says.

Academic pressures too much

According to Li Shenghui, one of the study's researchers, academic pressure is the biggest obstacle preventing children from getting a good night of rest.

"Parents shouldn't sign their kids up for so many extra classes," he told the Global Times Thursday. "Children who cannot handle the added stress will also suffer a poor quality of sleep when they do get to bed."

The research found that in recent years, over 60 percent of local children are enrolled in extra classes.

According to Eric Lu, 14, who attended local schools until the sixth grade and now studies at a private school in the US, the burdens placed on students in China to take additional classes, are physically, mentally and emotionally draining.

"In Shanghai, I had to get up at 6 am to start class at 7:30 am," he told the Global Times Thursday. "School ended at 3 pm, but we couldn't go home until after-class tutoring finished at 5 pm, or sometimes as late as 7 pm.

"In the US, we start later and get off earlier," he added. "It's not nearly as tiring, nor stressful."

According to his mother, the American school system does a better job of catering to the needs of students than the Chinese one.

"English, math, arts and sports are all taught at American schools, so just going to school for the day is good enough for him," the woman, who preferred not to be named, told the Global Times Thursday. "It's much better this way; he now has more time for other things like spending time with friends."

Parents ought to ease up

Similar sentiments were echoed by a member of the parent's association at Peijia International School in Putuo district. The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said that children should not be so thinly stretched, as having time to take part in activities unrelated to academics is just as important to their social development of valuable life skills.

"Chinese kids are under too much pressure these days," she added. "Most parents think that school and tests are the most crucial things for a child, but they're wrong - that kind of strict lifestyle isn't actually good for their well-being."

According to Dr George Zhang of the Shanghai United Family Hospital, it is imperative for youth to find a balance between school, sleep and healthy eating to ensure every advantage. He told the Global Times Thursday that young children require at least eight hours of sleep a night, while high school students should have a minimum of seven hours every day.

Meanwhile, Wang Hailiang, a researcher at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said that parents should be wary of putting too much pressure on the academic performance of their child.

"Kids need a break, too," he told the Global Times Thursday. "Not having enough time to play and spending too much time studying will have serious long-term detrimental effects on children, especially when such a routine is carried on for lengthy periods of time."