The topic of conversation in a lot of places at school today was sleep. Some got lots of it over the holidays, and some (like me) didn't get much of it last night. I went to bed at my usual time but had trouble falling asleep and was up past 1am. Then I woke up about 5:00 and tossed and turned until my alarm went off at 6:30. Made for an interesting day. I was excited/nervous to head back to school, (and was probably thinking too much) about all the things coming up.
We all need sleep. Our kids do too. Interestingly, when Mrs. Rollins and I taught overseas in 2000 in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, we would go out to dinner at a restaurant. We would arrive at 8:00 (late to eat in our opinion) and we would be the first ones there. When we would leave at about 9:30, local families would just be arriving to dinner. With their children! We even saw some who were in Mrs. Rollins kindergarten class. So, they are there eating until what, 11:00pm? Then getting up and going to school the next day? Clearly not the best situation for growing children.
The following (for elementary aged children) is from the sleep foundation. At: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-topics/children-and-sleep
Sleep and School-aged Children (5-12 years)
Children aged five to 12 need 10-11 hours of sleep. At the same time, there is an increasing demand on their time from school (e.g., homework), sports and other extracurricular and social activities. In addition, school-aged children become more interested in TV, computers, the media and Internet as well as caffeine products – all of which can lead to difficulty falling asleep, nightmares and disruptions to their sleep. In particular, watching TV close to bedtime has been associated with bedtime resistance, difficulty falling asleep, anxiety around sleep and sleeping fewer hours.
Sleep problems and disorders are prevalent at this age. Poor or inadequate sleep can lead to mood swings, behavioral problems such as hyperactivity and cognitive problems that impact on their ability to learn in school.
Sleep Tips for School-aged Children
- Teach school-aged children about healthy sleep habits.
- Continue to emphasize need for regular and consistent sleep schedule and bedtime routine.
- Make child's bedroom conducive to sleep – dark, cool and quiet.
- Keep TV and computers out of the bedroom.
- Avoid caffeine.
One of the interesting ideas I have heard floated around to do with teens and sleeping is that school would be better for teens if it started later (like 10:00 am) and went longer in the afternoon. Apparently that might mimic the sleep patterns of most teens and make things easier for them. There is some research that has been done that supports this as well (see below)... There are obstacles to making a change such as this, of course. I wonder if that would be better or worse for teachers?
CBC doc on Canadian schools starting later: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/schools-let-sleepy-teens-lie-in-1.1169804
and in some cases, where they just switched from what to me seemed like insanely early start times, to more regular ones, benefits were found: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/hot-topics/backgrounder-later-school-start-times
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