One school day not too long ago, a class entered my room abuzz. Something serious had occurred the period before between two students.

Others took sides. All involved were rather accusatory and vocal and in no way mentally prepared for language arts. I realized our first bit of business could not be the lesson plan: circling the words functioning as nouns in a newspaper article about the Abominable Snowman.Instead, we discussed what had occurred last period. Productively. Surprisingly productively, Satisfyingly productively.Instead of bitching and bellyaching, the students actually analyzed how and why things went awry. I'm willing to bet, in fact, a few even gained insight into why some of their classmates say what they say and do what they do and know how to respond in the future as a result.When we finally started reading the Abominable Snowman article, the boy at the heart of the conflict apologized for wasting so much class time.I corrected him. I explained we hadn't wasted time, that certain matters need to be handled in school first before you can achieve success.That's true for health and fitness, too. That's why you so often read in this column, as you did last week, about the effects health and fitness or lack there of have on children.The health and fitness of children often becomes this column's focus for, after all, what could be more important than having happy and productive kids in our society? Not only will happy and productive kids have fewer health problems as they age, but they will also achieve more academically immediately and more financially eventually which is definitely a good thing for the long-term prosperity of country, the long-term health of their parents, and everyone's short-term peace of mind.So 800 words or so on the topic every month or so is well worth it.The intro alluded specifically to a behavioral problem in school for a reason. A study published in the October 2013 issue of Pediatrics found a clear-cut link between irregular bedtimes and irregular behavior in children.After analyzing data on more than 10,000 7-year-olds gathered by interviewing their mothers when the children were 3, 5 and 7, researchers at London's University College discovered that the children's behavior got progressively worse as the number of nights they didn't get normal rest increased. Professor Yvonne Kelly, who led the research, said, "Not having fixed bedtimes, accompanied by a constant sense of flux, induces a state of body and mind akin to jet lag and this matters for healthy development and daily functioning."In other words, messing with kids' bedtimes messes with their minds.The data also revealed that returning to a regular bedtime pattern significantly improved behavior.Behavior is not the only reason that monitoring the sleep habits of children and seeing that they receive a sufficient amount is important. An April 2013 article also published in Pediatrics found a correlation between reduced sleep and increased body mass.The study focused on 14-to-18-year-olds and eliminated such variables as amount of television time and physical activity. By doing so, researchers were able to ascertain that 10 hours of sleep per day, especially for those nearly obese, kept obesity at bay.Jonathan A. Mitchell, PhD and lead author of the study performed by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, said this in an interview for Medical News Today: "Educating adolescents on the benefits of sleep and informing them of sleep hygiene practices have shown to have little impact on adolescent sleep duration."Mitchell's solution to this is one that I've offered a number of times: delay the start of the school day. Mitchell says, "Previous research has shown delaying the start of the school day even by 60 minutes results in a 45-minute increase in sleep [for high school students]."Better regulation of the secretion of hormones affecting energy expenditure and the storage of fat are two reasons why children shouldn't skimp on sleep, and a Temple University study also published in 2013 in Pediatrics reinforced that. In a three-week study, when the children slept "more" for a week, they ate on average 134 fewer calories a day as compared to the week of the study when the same children slept "less." While a change in caloric consumption of 134 calories per day is noteworthy in anyone, it is especially significant in a group of 8-to-11-year olds who probably weigh less than half than a typical adult.Parents and children alike should understand that studies like these three clearly demonstrate that sufficient sleep is one of those "certain matters" alluded to in the intro a matter that needs to be handled to allow success in school and optimal health and fitness to occur.