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How much sleep do you actually need?

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Have you ever wanted to stay up past your bedtime? As a child, it was a nightly game to stay up late. Although, I lost most if not all of those battles, regular sleep was good for me. As I grew older, sleep became my friend, and is still an important part of my health. This lesson will show you some important facts about sleep and why it's so important for us to catch our nightly Zzzzzzz.

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With so much learning occuring in front of screens, it is important to take our eyes off of them before trying to sleep. This Science News for Students article addresses some of the issues we can face when our screens are part of our pre-sleep routines.Sleep is your superpower TED talk.So many students in high school, college, and university are feeling pressure to succeed that they are pushing themselves to exede their own physical limits. This article from the Times of India addresses how less sleep can create mental health problems in college students.The creators of our lesson video also made a lesson to explain, "What If you Sleep 2 Hours Less Every Night?" It is a great companion to dig deeper on the importance of a good night's sleep.Did you know that there is something called the National Sleep Foundation? Check out their website for other sleep related links like this one https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/nsf-tool-get-right-amount-sleep
Our current school system could benefit from a more student friendly schedule. Many of the hours of operation for schools are determined by the bus and transportation companies and do little to consider the physical and mental well being of students. Some schools are beginning to address this by altering hours to suit students and are reaping the rewards for doing so. With such strong correlation between sleep and health (mental and physical), it would be wise to adopt a global practice of starting school day's off a little bit later. Thanks for taking this lesson. I wish you many many many great sleeps to come.
Avatar for Will Gourley
Lesson Creator
Markham, Ontario, Canada
The lesson mainly focuses on the harmful effects due to a lack of sleep. However, it also mentions that there may be a downside to getting too much sleep. I know that when I get too much sleep, am grumpy and wake up feeling lethargic.
In your opinion what are some things that could help everyone get all of the sleep they need? What have you tried? Share what works or doesn't work for you.
04/13/2020 • 
 140 Responses
 / 140 Updates
Have you ever wondered why your school starts and ends at a certain time? Based on the tired faces getting off of buses on early mornings, I would guess that it is too early for many learners. In your opinion, what would be the perfect time to start and end the school day? Why?
04/13/2020 • 
 105 Responses
 / 105 Updates

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