Want to be a better teacher? Here’s an angle I bet you never thought of: get more sleep.

According to a new study, a lack of sleep could be affecting the performance of a large number of educators in the US.

Some 43 percent of teachers surveyed said they slept an average of six hours or less per night, according to the study, while half admitted to missing work or making errors due to a “serious lack of sleep.” Nearly one-fourth said their teaching skills are “significantly diminished” due to lack of sleep.

So, why aren’t they getting more sleep?

Amschler believes that teachers’ sleep problems likely derive from the unique stresses of the job, including non-fixed hours, continuous grading and planning responsibilities, and concerns about students.

Anything else?

The study also notes that nearly 45 percent of the respondents said they also work part-time jobs in addition to teaching.

Ok, in addition to a raise, maybe we could add afternoon nap time as a benefit of teaching. Milk and cookies would be nice too. :-)