Let’s talk about sleep:

The importance of sleep

We all know what sleep is. Some of us like bedtime because we are tired and are
excited to relax and sleep at night, but sometimes we feel like we would rather keep playing or
watching TV rather than sleeping! Let’s talk about why we shouldn’t do this because sleep is so
important to our body and our brain, so we need to make sure we get enough to stay healthy!

Sleep is important for our brains because it helps with memory. This means that we are
more likely to remember what we learned in school for an upcoming big test if we get enough
sleep after studying or doing our homework! It also helps us pay attention easier. If we get
enough sleep at night, we will be able to pay more attention in class the next day. Finally, it
helps our brain be well-rested and ready to think or solve any problems that come our way
throughout the day.

Sleep is also important for our bodies for many reasons. First, it helps us to grow and get
stronger. The rest we get from sleep gives our body the energy it needs to grow our skin,
muscles, and even bones! Sleep is also important when our body is trying to heal. For example,
if you were to fall and scratch your knee at the park, sleeping the right amount at night will help
your body heal that injury faster. Finally, sleep is important for our body to stay strong and fight
any illnesses from bacteria or viruses. Better sleep gives our body a better chance to win when
fighting with these illnesses.

Find your age range in the chart below to see how much you should be sleeping at night
for all of these great benefits!
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How Sleep Works

While sleep is an important time for our body to recover and repair itself, we are actually
not fully relaxed! We may feel like it, but our body is actually still hard at work! Our body and our
brain use this time at night when we are sleeping to prepare for the next day.

Just think of all the things you do in a day- running, jumping, going to school, studying,
eating, getting a shower, playing with your pet, hugging your loved ones, playing video games,
and the list goes on and on! Proper sleep is the only way for our body and brain to prepare for
all of this action. Think of yourself like a car. You know that when your parent’s car is out of gas,
they need to go fill it up with more gas or they cannot go anywhere in the car. We are like the
car and our gas is sleep! We need it for fuel to get up and keep going the next day.

Ever wonder why we naturally sleep at night? This is mostly due to lighting. Our body
has sensors to know that it should be awake when it is light out. The sunlight in the morning
when we first open our eyes helps our brains to know that it is time to get up. Similarly, the
darkness outside when we go to bed allows our bodies to know that it is time to calm down and
get ready for sleep.

Fun fact: Even leaving a TV or computer on in your room overnight is enough light to
throw our bodies off and decrease the quality of sleep.

Fun Fact #2: We sleep in cycles. Check out the image below to understand how these
cycles work.
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Healthy Sleep Habits

Let’s learn about what we can do in order to help us get the best sleep possible for our
body and brain!

1. Make sure your bedroom is cool, dark and quiet. Your parents can help you here if you
need it! Ask them to get you a dull night light rather than a bright one and make sure that
there is not any background noise when trying to sleep.
2. Be as active as you can during the day- play at recess, participate in gym class, take
your dog for a walk, play with your siblings, do chores around the house! The more
physically active we are during the day, the better we will sleep because our bodies will
actually be tired.
3. Try to avoid eating big meals before bed time. Dinner is normally a bigger meal, but
make sure it is several hours before you are trying to sleep. If you get hungry before bed,
choose a lighter snack like a fruit or cheese stick.
4. Avoid soda around bedtime- it has caffeine! Caffeine makes our nervous system more
active and can make us feel excited and jittery if we drink too much. These feelings do
not go well with sleep. Try to avoid soda or caffeine as much as possible, especially in
the afternoon or evening!
5. Make a bedtime routine for yourself. This can include trying to go to bed around the
same time each night, reading before bed to relax, taking a warm shower or listening to
calming music. Any habit that will calm your body down will work.
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http://www.sleepforkids.org/html/head.html
All About Dreams

Believe it or not, everybody dreams every night. But you don't always remember your
dreams. People dream during the stage of sleep called Rapid
Eye Movement or R.E.M. You spend about two and a half
hours dreaming. Most of your dreaming sleep happens
between 4:00 and 7:00 in the morning. The exact timing of your
most active dream stage would vary based on your bedtime
and if you wake up at all in the night.

Scientists are not sure why we dream or what we

dream, but many people spend a lot of time trying to figure out
what their dreams mean. One thing that we do know for sure is
that R.E.M. sleep is important for learning and memory. TV
shows, video games, real people, and actual events can show
up in your dreams. Your dreams may be related to how you
feel, your worries, your hopes, or things you are excited about.
Sometimes, dreams can feel very random and like they have
no true meaning at all.

Just about everybody has had a very scary dream that wakes them up in the middle of
the night. These are called nightmares. Nightmares can be very scary, but we can take the fright
out of them by doing a few certain things when we wake up. This list of actions help our brains
to understand that the nightmare was not real and that we are awake and again in reality.

Here are some things you can do if you have had a nightmare:
- Talk about these dreams with a parent or another adult you trust
- Draw a picture of the dream
- Write a story about your dream with a happy ending
- Make sure you are getting enough sleep

The most important thing to remember is that whether your dream is scary, fun, funny, or
weird, it is your dream and you are in control!

Do you want to keep track of your dreams? Keep a dream journal. When you wake up,
write about or draw dreams you remember in your special journal. Have fun trying to figure out
what your dreams mean!

Activity

Let’s finish the week of learning about sleep off with a little review quiz as our activity!
You got this!
http://www.sleepforkids.org/html/stars2.html