Recently, the question of healthy sleep has become very relevant. The tension is constantly increasing, all processes are faster and people are faced with stressful situations more and more often. This problem became urgent during the pandemic, especially among children and students who need to quickly adapt to remote or mixed models of studying. Against this background, most experts correlate sleep deprivation with academic failure. For this reason, teachers need to educate students and their parents about the importance of sleep.
How to Help Students Understand the Importance of Sleep
It is generally accepted that the optimal time for healthy sleep is 6-10 hours. According to statistics, the average sleep duration among students is 6-6.9 hours. But this amount of time is not enough for all of them. What’s more, a lot of students tend to stay awake for several nights dealing with academic assignments. Still, in some cases, it is better to turn to the best college paper writing service reviews and seek help from authors from the top writers list instead of sacrificing the most valuable night’s sleep.
What’s more, teachers can also help their students understand why healthy sleep is so important. Here are some important points to convey to every student regarding sleep:
- Lack of sleep can lead to decreased immunity.
- Lack of sleep and a chaotic schedule can lead to the fact that the teenager’s psyche becomes less adaptive to stressful situations.
- Lack of sleep decreases the concentration of attention.
- It is more difficult for a student to assimilate information in a sleepy state. The student’s academic performance decreases.
- Lack of sleep can lead to decreased physical activity, which can lead to weight gain.
- Good sleep can help to fight stress more effectively and support mental health.
- In the absence of healthy sleep, many hormones are not produced.
Here is how you can promote healthy sleep habits among the students step by step.
1. Survey Your Students
Before you announce a lecture that will help students develop a good habit, you need to determine the magnitude of the problem. To do this, survey your students. Offer them to answer the questions anonymously so that students can answer truthfully.
Find out what time students usually go to bed and wake up. Ask for an assessment of sleep quality. Find out how students feel at school, especially in the morning and afternoon. Find out how long it takes students to complete their homework. It is also worth asking how comfortable the bed is.
This data will be the starting point for the creation of educational material.
2. Organize a Lecture
Teachers need to prepare an educational lecture that will reflect not only the importance of quality sleep but also the consequences of its poor quality. Try to make this lecture simple but engaging and showcase not only facts and statistics but also live examples so that students understand the importance.
Think about the presentation of the material. It may be easier for your students to perceive information with visualization or in the format of questions and answers and lively discussion. Also, support the lecture with videos and storytelling elements – they are more memorable and engaging.
3. Create a Guide for Students
After the lecture, it is necessary to provide a visual guide for students. Include the following points to the guide:
- Go to bed at the same time.
- Ventilate your bedroom before going to bed.
- It is recommended that you stop using gadgets or watching TV an hour and a half before bedtime.
- It is recommended not to eat high-calorie food three hours before bedtime.
- It is necessary to ensure absolute darkness in the bedroom. You can use a special sleep mask.
- Don’t leave the gadget next to your pillow.
In addition to general guidelines, you can help students create a daily schedule with which they can learn to go to bed at the same time. Prepare some tips on time management using modern mobile apps, for example, time trackers, planners, and schedulers.
4. Encourage Students to Write the Sleep Diary
Both lectures and guides may not be sufficient for teenagers. Encourage students to keep a sleep diary, and don’t forget to offer some appropriate rewards. Ask them to note the next points:
- What time does the student go to bed?
- Wake-up time.
- Feeling after waking up.
- Total sleep duration.
- Description of the state of health after the first lesson and after the end of the school day.
- How long does it take to complete homework?
After a week of keeping such a diary, it is necessary to discuss the results with the students and make sure that the students are convinced of the importance of sleep.
5. Inform Parents About Healthy Sleep Importance
To achieve the maximum effect from all of the above methods, it is worth informing parents. Some parents don’t care about their sleep schedule and allow their kids to go to bed after midnight on weekends or during vacations.
It is enough to conduct an educational lecture for parents and provide them with basic data and also give specific recommendations that they should follow. There is also a need to talk about the importance of bed quality. An orthopedic mattress and pillows play a key role in not only posture but also healthy sleep.
Teachers can notice which students have sleep problems. After the lecture, it is worth talking to the parents of these students one-on-one.
Wrapping Up
Helping students with developing healthy habits is one more task modern teachers face in the background of a pandemic and changed learning methods. While most students have more tasks than they can actually cope with, teaching them to manage their time and prioritize their health is also important. It is also essential to talk to parents and attract their attention to the problem of unhealthy sleep one more time. You may also consider getting back to this topic, especially before the upcoming exams to make sure your students are on the right track. Use the tips above and help your students develop healthy sleeping habits.
Students often lack sleep because of hectic academic schedules, home assignments, and other tests. As a result, their performance dips, making an average grade unsatisfactory. Successful students tend to sleep more, and it is for a reason. A good night’s sleep has plenty of benefits. If you want to enhance your sleep and thus increase your academic success, you need a complex approach. The Alaska Sleep Clinic can help you; call us today to learn more.
