RUNNING HEAD: STUDENT SLEEP AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH PHYSICAL

ACTIVITY

PPE 310: Health Literacy for Schools

Student Sleep and its Association with Physical Activity
Arlene V. Torres Vargas and Lizbet Carrillo
Signature Assignment
Dr. Hesse

STUDENT SLEEP AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Introduction
With todays growing technology availability and increase of distractions, children might
find it more difficult to concentrate on subjects like reading and math. They may not sustain their
attention as long or even attract their attention. We must consider our students community the
majority of it being low-income status. This may have a great influence on students sleeping
routines, home environment, physical activity and leisure time. Although we cannot generalize,
there is research that links sleeping routines and consistency, with obesity and lack of physical
activity. With new research it has been found that sleep can be a factor in the amount of physical
activity or obesity. Students who may not be sleeping enough are in class tired and not alert thus
hindering their ability to learn. This poses a great challenge for teachers, not only because they
must trigger students interest in subjects like reading and math in innovative ways incorporating
physical activity, where they lack, but also educating students about the importance of their sleep
and overall health. We propose a program called Sleep Matters that will present the benefits of
sleep to students and parents. This program will engage students about lack of sleep, sleep
benefits and the impact sleep has on their bodies.
Weebly Sites
Arlene Torres: http://mstorresvargas.weebly.com
Lizbet Carrillo: http://eportfoliocarrillo.weebly.com
Review of Current Literature
School Context
Valley View Elementary is located in the Roosevelt School District. This year there are
644 students enrolled. According to School Digger, the racial makeup in 2014 was, 88.5%
Hispanic, 3.8% white, and 5% African American. The current percentage of students receiving

STUDENT SLEEP AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

free/reduced lunch is 100%. The current proportion of ELL students is 15% which the majority
speak Spanish and two students speak Portuguese and one Bosnian. Valley View Elementary
serves students from Kindergarten to 8 grade. The current student to teacher ratio is 27:1.
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Valley View Elementary is a suburban, Title 1 public school located in South Phoenix. Valley
View Elementary received a letter grade of a C in 2013.The ethnic makeup of the surrounding
area in 2013 was, 14% African American, 1% Asian or Pacific Islander, 2% Indian, 1% mixed
races, 7% other, and 75% White, according to Movoto Real Estate.
The home environment and childhood obesity in low-income households: Indirect effects
via sleep duration and screen time. This research states that obesity in low-income communities
is directly related to the lack of sleep. The study was made within 103 households showing
results validating the correlation between sleep and obesity. On average, normal weight children
(9.7 h/d) slept 33.3 minutes longer per night than overweight/obese index children (9.2 h/d)
(Appelhans, 2014). Teachers and community leaders should highlight interventions targeting the
importance of sleep. Informing families about the effects of limited sleep time and obesity.
Promoting bedtime routines, and encouraging to reduce chaos within the home environment.
Sleep patterns in Spanish adolescents: Associations with TV watching and leisure-time
physical activity. This study was made among adolescents in Spain. Although this research is not
targeted to adolescents in the US we can find similar patterns. Adolescence is a time where
important cognitive and physical development occurs. The AVENA participants were adolescents
from 13 to 18.5 years of age (Ortega, 2010). Morning tiredness is associated with short times of
sleep. Adolescents watch T.V. before going to sleep, causing them to stay awake longer to finish
watching a T.V. show episode or movie. Adolescents get about 5 to 6 hours of sleep. Educators

STUDENT SLEEP AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

and parents job is to encourage healthier sleeping habits, reducing the time of T.V. watching
during the week.
The Role of Sleep and Physical Activity on the Risk for Cardiovascular Disease. States
that maintaining a healthy lifestyle encompassing adequate sleep and regular physical activity
(PA) promotes optimal health over the life course (Pepin, 2014). Lack of sleep and inactivity
increase the risk of physical and mental illness and mortality. Sleep patterns are not taught and
parents are not informed about the associations within sleep and health. Constantly sleeping less
than 7 hours increases the presence of certain sleep disturbances, such as sleep apnea. Minor
diseases lead to the risk of heart failure, and metabolic deregulation just to mention a few
examples.
The role of sleep and physical activity in cognitive decline: Direct and mediating effects
on executive control. This study states that: Together, behavioral and neuroimaging
investigations suggest that sleep deprivation has a considerable impact on executive control
( Wilckens, 2012). Lack of sleep also contributes to long-term deterioration. Teachers have the
job to educate students about health habits, wellness, and healthy life styles. Cardiovascular
diseases are linked to lack of sleep. The symptoms do not begin to show until adulthood is
reached. Children and adolescence sleep patterns will affect their development and eventually
their adulthood health.
Short sleep duration is associated with increased obesity markers in European
adolescents: Effect of physical activity and dietary habits. This research relates obesity with
sleep patterns. There is evidence for a long-term impact of childhood sleeping problems on the
later development of obesity ( Garaulet, 2011). Obesity is usually related to the intake of food.
Few times we hear the relationship between sleep and obesity. Energy is released while sleeping

STUDENT SLEEP AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

so, when not enough sleep time is provided for our body to digest and produce energy our system
needs to make adjustments. This adjustments endorse obesity and slower our metabolism.
Synthesis of Current Literature
Research and studies have been made to prove the association between sleep and health.
The articles Short sleep duration is associated with increased obesity markers in European
adolescents: Effect of physical activity and dietary habits. and The home environment and
childhood obesity in low-income households: Indirect effects via sleep duration and screen
time. agree that obesity is correlated with lack of sleep. Children and adolescents sleeping less
than the recommended time tend to gain weight and eventually become obese. Poor sleep habits
are common between children, adolescents, and adults. The following articles discuss the effects
of poor sleep habits and illnesses. The Role of Sleep and Physical Activity on the Risk for
Cardiovascular Disease and The role of sleep and physical activity in cognitive decline:
Direct and mediating effects on executive control. Based on these two articles illnesses such as
cardiovascular diseases and metabolic deregulation are effect of poor sleep habits.
The articles conclude that the lack of sleep is directly related to unhealthy patterns, which
eventually may lead to chronic illnesses. Research shows the correlation between sleep habits
and obesity. It is also proven that technology such as watching T.V. promotes poor sleeping
routines. With the increase of technology at homes and the rapid lifestyles people are sleeping
less than the recommended sleep periods. Children and teenagers are in the process of cognitive
and physical development. Lack of sleep generates morning tiredness, lack of concentration
during the day, obesity, and anger. Also, with time the effects of deficient sleep leads to illnesses
such as heart failure.

STUDENT SLEEP AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Teachers and community leaders have the job to inform families about the importance of
sleep patterns. In order to promote good sleep habits, teacher must be informed and educate their
students. Teachers can send newsletters home where parents will get educated on this issue and
other health topics. Sleep habits and effects are not as spoken as other disorders. Students are at
school for about seven hours per day in which they are acquiring new knowledge and are sitting
down for long periods of time. The articles state that lack of sleep causes children and
adolescents certain sleep disturbances which affects their performance in school.
Valley View Elementary is a Title I school, the neighborhood is predominantly lowincome families. One of the articles addresses the association between low-income families,
obesity and lack of sleep. Considering the school and the research we can find that the finding
are accurate. When these students get home, some of them have to take care of younger siblings
or cousins, help their parents, or do not have a safe environment where they can rest. By
providing workshops to parents informing them about the importance of sleep habits, we are
hoping to alleviate this issue.
Practical Implications
The purpose of this program, Sleep Matters is to improve the healthy habits of our
students and the overall school and community understanding of sleep and physical activity. In
the classroom, students are continuously sitting for long periods of time and only get physical
activity during recess. Some students do not sleep well so they are either tired or sometimes
falling asleep in class. There are many distractions in students home or lack of consistent
sleeping habits that prevent children from sleeping enough. Developing a project that will build
understanding of sleep benefits and then provide a course of action will help guide students to be

STUDENT SLEEP AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

healthier and more active. However in order to accomplish results with this program we need to
consider marketing, administration, parental involvement, cross curriculum activities, scheduling
and student engagement.
Administration
We proposed creating a project that would reach out to the community to learn about the
sleep habits in our students. Providing sufficient research about the importance of sleep and
physical activity to administration would in turn help gain the support of administration. Valley
View receives resources for the Parent Center; different speakers hold workshops and support
parents through a variety of programs. With this all in mind, administration can incorporate
informational workshops for parents to learn about the significance of sleep and physical activity.
In order to gain enough support and funding for the project we would begin collecting data from
student to show growth in their change of habits. Students would take this survey home and
record their sleeping habits for a week (See Appendix A and B). The survey is intended for
grades 1-8 grade.
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Marketing
Considering the availability and resources offered by the parent center, we would be able
to fund our workshop through the services they already provide to parents. The information
presented to parents would also be presented to students in a kid friendly way using resources
like sleepforkids.org and the sleep tracker (See Appendix A). Promoting information on school
walls and flyers would be provided in Spanish also because our community is majority Spanish
speakers. Afterschool when communicating with parents, teachers would suggest attending the
workshop personally to the parents, in this way it is more personal instead of another paper

STUDENT SLEEP AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

passed out. Finally as the project comes progresses students will have the opportunity to win a
shirt with the logo sleep matters, this will increase the interest in our purpose.
Parent Involvement
In order to reach out to as many parents in our community project, distribution of the
material will begin early and frequently remind parents of the upcoming event. After school
when teacher dismiss students and greet parents they will personally invite parents to the
workshop. Often parents do not have the time to attend the multiple workshops offered at school,
for this reason teachers will work with the parent coordinator to find a time that is best for
parents. This will be done through close communication between parents and teachers.
Scheduling
Many parents in our community work long hours and do not have the flexibility to attend
many workshops during regular school hours. With this program we hope to arrange a time that
is best for most parents by sending out a survey home and calling parents who do not return the
survey to inform them about the event. Parents who cannot attend can have materials sent home
with students that are targeted for parents. Teachers would work with the parent coordinator to
provide materials for parents.
Cross Curriculum
Different content areas would be integrated into the topic. Math would be integrated
when using graphs and other ways of representing data such as their sleep journal. In science
students would learn about the influence sleep has on our bodies physically and mentally. They
will explore technology use when comparing the difference between a rested and active brain
and a sleep-deprived brain. Teachers would dedicate a week of learning about sleep. In reading,
students will explore informational text about different topics that are relevant to sleep. During

STUDENT SLEEP AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

this week students will learn all about how sleep impact our bodies across different subjects.
Teachers and specialized staff will collaborate to provide additional support and content
knowledge about sleep to implement in the classroom.
Student Engagement
Students will have the opportunity to win a shirt (see Appendix D) and get to wear their
pajamas at the end of the week. Every day of the duration of the program, students will
participate in different activities such as the Jr. Bear Sleep Guide. Through these activities
students will explore how sleep and physical activity impacts different aspects in our lives
students will continue to be challenged to continue their sleep diary and stay active. Teachers can
motivate students by creating a sleep chart, where students gather the data they collect in their
diary and try to meet the 10 hours every night that they need.
Conclusion
It is crucial for parents to regulate sleep with young children and reduce night activities
such as watching TV or playing video games that lead to morning tiredness. In addition to
recognizing the importance of regular sleep patterns lower the risk of physical and mental illness.
During the first year of implementation data will be gathered. Surveys will be sent home
to have an accurate understanding of the schools and community sleeping patterns. Collecting
data is the first step in the process of raising awareness and implementing further activities. This
project is intended to target the specific needs of the community. Based on the demographics at
Valley View Elementary, families tend to struggle economically therefore students experience
tension at home. Some students have to help their parents by either working, taking care of
younger siblings, or perform house duties, which leads to poor sleeping habits.

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After collecting information about students sleeping routines and families understanding
of healthy lifestyles, the program will proceed by offering workshops. These workshops will
target parents to inform them about sleeping habits and its association with illnesses and
behavior. The purpose of this program is to educate parents, students, community members, and
teachers. Besides offering workshops, students will learn about sleeping habits during a week
called sleep matters where they will have the opportunity to engage in different activities and
workshops.
Five years following the implementation of the program teacher and faculty will also be
involved in workshops and activities. It is crucial for the program to educate every person who is
part of the childs development. Within five years of the program, data will be recorded and will
allow us to know the needs of students and patterns through the years. Also professional
development and workshops will be offered to teachers so that they could teach their students
about healthier life choices such as sleeping habits. The success of this program consists in
collaboration and support from school administration, teachers, and parents. Sleep is the golden
chain that binds health and our bodies together.

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References
Appelhans, B. M., Fitzpatrick, S. L., Li, H., Cail, V., Waring, M. E., Schneider, K. L.. . Pagoto,
S. L. (2014). The home environment and childhood obesity in low-income households:
Indirect effects via sleep duration and screen time.BMC Public Health, 14(1), 1160-1160.
doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-1160
Garaulet, M., Ortega, F. B., Ruiz, J. R., Rey-Lpez, J. P., Bghin, L., Manios, Y., . . . Moreno, L.
A. (2011). Short sleep duration is associated with increased obesity markers in European
adolescents: Effect of physical activity and dietary habits. The HELENA study. Int J Obes
Relat Metab Disord International Journal of Obesity, 35(10), 1308-1317.
Ortega, F. B., Chilln, P., Ruiz, J. R., Delgado, M., Albers, U., lvarez-Granda, J. L., . . .
Castillo, M. J. (2010). Sleep patterns in Spanish adolescents: Associations with TV
watching and leisure-time physical activity. European Journal of Applied Physiology Eur
J Appl Physiol, 110(3), 563-573.
Pepin, V., Boucetta, S., Chan-Thim, E., Parwanta, Z., Gouin, J., & Dang-Vu, T. T. (2014). The
Role of Sleep and Physical Activity on the Risk for Cardiovascular Disease. Current
Cardiovascular Risk Reports Curr Cardiovasc Risk Rep, 8(12).
Wilckens, K. A. (2012). The role of sleep and physical activity in cognitive decline: Direct and
mediating effects on executive control
TheBigSleepSurvey2010.(n.d.).RetrievedMarch06,2016,from
http://www.sleepsurvey.net.au/teachers/primaryschools/

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Transcriptof"Whydowesleep?"(n.d.).RetrievedMarch06,2016,from
https://www.ted.com/talks/russell_foster_why_do_we_sleep/transcript?language=en#t
4606

Transcriptof"Onemorereasontogetagoodnight'ssleep"(n.d.).RetrievedMarch06,2016,
from
https://www.ted.com/talks/jeff_iliff_one_more_reason_to_get_a_good_night_s_sleep/tra
nscript?language=en

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Appendix A

A Kids Sleep Diary

Name: ___________________
Age: _____________________

Example
Monday
night
Tuesday
night
Wednesday
night
Thursday
Night

Time I
went to
bed?

Time I woke up
the next
morning?

How long I slept?

(hours and
minutes)

How long did I spend

doing physical activity?

8PM

7PM

10hours

30min

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AppendixB

A Teens Sleep Diary

Name: ___________________
Age: _____________________

Example
Monday
night
Tuesday
night
Wednesday
night
Thursday
Night

Time I
went to
bed?

Time I woke up
the next
morning?

How long I slept?

(hours and
minutes)

How long did I spend

doing physical activity?

8PM

7PM

10hours

30min

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Appendix C

The Importance of Sleep and Physical Activity

Reasons why students need sleep?

1. During sleep the body restores itself and memory consolation occurs are only a few.
2. This is the time for our brain to eliminate all the waste that has accumulated in the
day.
3. Increased judgment, creativity, memory and decrease risk of disease
4. Sleep deprivation can lead the body to crave other stimulants such as caffeine or
other substances to stay awake.
5. Sleep deprivation, 5 hours per night makes you 50 percent more likely to be obese.
This is because the brain is releasing ghrelin, the hunger hormone, leaving the brain
to seek food and particularly sugars.
6. Tiredness can lead to stress
Do students get enough sleep?
1. People sleep one and a half to two hours less
2. Teens need 9 hours and usually will only get 5 hours each night
3. Light disrupts sleep
4. Micro-sleeping can occur when sleep deprived, meaning lack of sleep, tiredness, poor
memory, increased impulsiveness
What can students do to stay healthy?
1. Make sure students are getting 60 minutes of daily exercise
2. Stay hydrated. Drink at least 8 cups of water
3. Get proper nutrients everyday. This means
4. Most importantly get 8 hours of sleep every night
Visit the following website for more details on sleep or visit our school parent center.
http://www.sleepsurvey.net.au/sleep-info/sleep-facts/

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Appendix D

La importancia del sueo y la actividad fsica

Razones por las cuales los estudiantes necesitan dormir?

1. Durante el sueo el cuerpo se restaura y se produce consuelo de memoria son slo unos pocos.
2. Este es el momento para nuestro cerebro para eliminar todos los residuos que se han
acumulado en el da.
3. Aumento de la sentencia, la creatividad, la memoria y la disminucin del riesgo de
enfermedades
4. La falta de sueo puede llevar el cuerpo a desear otros estimulantes como la cafena u otras
sustancias para mantenerse despierto.
5. La falta de sueo, 5 horas por la noche hace que el 50 por ciento ms propensos a ser obesos.
Esto es porque el cerebro es la liberacin de la grelina, la hormona del hambre, dejando el iantes
estn recibiendo 60 minutos de ejercicio diario
2. Mantngase hidratado. Beba por lo menos 8 vasos de agua
3. Obtener los nutrientes adecuados todos los das. Esto significa
4. Lo ms importante es conseguir 9 horas de sueo cada noche
cerebro de buscar comida y en particular azcares.
6. El cansancio puede conducir a estrs

Los estudiantes duermen lo suficiente?

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1. La gente duerme una hora y media a dos horas menos

2. Los adolescentes necesitan 9 horas y por lo general slo va a 5 horas cada noche
3. Luz interrumpe el sueo
4. Micro-dormir puede ocurrir cuando el sueo privados, es decir, la falta de sueo, cansancio,
falta de memoria, aumento de la impulsividad

Qu pueden hacer los estudiantes para mantenerse saludable?

1. hacer que los estud
Visite el siguiente sitio web para ms detalles sobre el sueo o visite nuestro centro de
padres de la escuela.
http://www.sleepsurvey.net.au/sleep-info/sleep-facts/
Gracias por tu apoyo.

Appendix E

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