Prior-night sleep duration and the relationship to quality of life and educational context in Norwegian pre-adolescents

Sufficient sleep is associated with improved development, health, and quality of life (QoL). The aim of this paper is twofold: (1) to describe prior-night sleep duration according to sleep recommendations across socioeconomic status (SES), age, gender and screen time use among Norwegian pre-adolescents and (2) to explore the association between reported prior-night sleep duration with QoL and school factors stratified by gender. Cross-sectional data was aggregated from the Norwegian Ungdata Junior Survey, collected in 2024. In total, 45,185 children aged between 10 and 12 years provided self-reported data anonymously by filling out an electronic/online questionnaire during school hours. About half of the study sample (53.1%) reported adherence to international sleep recommendations for children aged 10 to 12 years, with somewhat higher adherence among boys than girls(54.5% vs. 51.8%, p < 0.01). Results from binary regressions revealed positive associations related to QoL and school factors among children adhering to sleep recommendations compared to ones not adhering, with adjusted odds ratio ranging from 1.33 to 1.79 (all p < 0.01). In this population-based sample of Norwegian children aged 10 to 12 years, approximately half reported not achieving the recommended 9 to 12 h of sleep per night. Reporting prior-night sleep duration in accordance to the international sleep recommendations were strongly associated with higher QoL and positive school related factors among boys and girls, but particularly strong among girls. These findings emphasize the vital role of adequate sleep among pre-adolescents for QoL and optimizing school contexts, offering valuable insight for future practice and policy. 1. Why is this study needed? Children aged 10 to 12 years are recommended to obtain 9 to 12 h of sleep per day to support optimal health and development. However, global evidence indicates that between one-third to one-half of children report failing to meet these recommendations. 2. What is the key problem/issue/question this manuscript addresses? The aims of this paper were twofold: (1) to describe prior-night sleep duration according to the sleep recommendation across age, socioeconomic levels, gender and screen time use among Norwegian children aged 10 to 12 years and (2) to explore the association between reported prior-night sleep duration with quality of life and school factors stratified by gender. 3. What is the main point of your study? Research specifically examining sleep adherence and quality of life in Norwegian pre-adolescents is scarce. This study addresses that gap by providing novel data from a large population-based Norwegian sample, offering insight into potential cultural and age-specific differences. 4. What are your main results and what do they mean? This research identifies associations between children’s prior-night sleep duration and indicators of quality of life in an educational context, offering insights that may inform practice and policy development by highlighting the potential importance of sleep for daily functioning and well-being among children in Norway.