The Nemours Foundation states that most teenagers require between eight and a half and nine hours of sleep every night. However, new research from Brigham Young University reveals that this may be too much rest for high school students who want to improve their test scores.

In a recent study, researchers at the University found that seven, rather than nine, hours of sleep each night can help 16-18 year olds perform better at school.

To arrive at these results, researchers analyzed data from 1,724 primary and secondary school students around the country. Based on their findings, there was a strong link between how much sleep these youths received and their performance on standardized tests.

"We’re not talking about sleep deprivation," said Eric Eide, an economics professor and the author of the study. "The data simply says that seven hours is optimal at that age."

If there has been a change in students’ sleeping patterns, parents may want to have them complete IQ tests for kids and see if there has been any impact on their cognitive abilities.