Sleep is very important. It is during sleep that the body grows. It is during sleep that new neurons are built into the brain. New folds also appear in the brain during sleep. These folds act in a similar manner to random access memory (RAM) in a computer. They enable the human computer—the living brain—to process more complex mathematical data. Eight hours of sleep in middle school is absolutely important.
It is imperative that your child enters and exits the full REM cycle of sleep. REM or rapid eye movement sleep is when the brain grows and builds on experience. It is also the realm of your child’s Achievement Mechanism (see “The Psychological Aspects of Testing”, below). This level of sleep cannot be achieved unless the child can actually sleep eight hours a day.
Parents often say that their children cannot sleep eight hours. Children will easily sleep eight hours if you reduce the amount of caffeine and processed flours in their diet. Try it and see how well it works. This is also why most kids cannot wake up on time the day of the exam.