The importance of sleep
Anyone who has experienced tiredness knows
how bad it can make one feel. Not only do we
feel less able to focus, more short-tempered,
forgetful and generally overwrought, but we
are lethargic and far more likely to experience
headaches, colds and other physical ailments.
Equally, we can all hopefully identify with the
joy of a long and uninterrupted sleep and the
feeling of waking up fully refreshed and
energised. Sleep is hugely undervalued in our
culture and we pay a worryingly high price for
neglecting it. Humans have evolved to spend
around a third of their lives asleep. This alone
should suggest that sleep plays a crucial role in
our ability to function well. If you are still not
convinced, consider why sleep deprivation is a
recognised method of torture. We all, pupils
and adults alike need to take sleep seriously
and make it a priority. This article will outline
the physical and mental benefits of sleep,
some common sleep-related problems and
their causes and, crucially, some strategies to
encourage better sleep.
How much sleep should my son get each
night?
Of course, each individual’s needs vary and
how much sleep your son needs will fluctuate
according to the demands he is experiencing at
any given time, be they physical or mental.
According to the National Sleep Foundation,
the following guidelines apply:
Age
6-13
Recommended hours of sleep
9-11 hours
14-17
18-25
8-10 hours
7-9 hours
Do Dulwich College boys suffer from sleep
deprivation?
In a recent Wellbeing survey, Dulwich College
boys were asked how much sleep they get on
an average school night. The results were as
follows:
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Lower School
Approximately a third of boys get the
recommended minimum of 9 hours.
Around half of the boys in the Lower
School are getting below the
recommended amount of sleep, with
more than 20% getting 7 hours or less.
Middle School
Approximately half of boys sleep for
the recommended minimum of 8 hours
or more each night. Around a third of
boys are getting about 7 hours of sleep
with 13% getting 6 hours or less.
Upper School
Over 60% of boys in the Upper School
sleep for 7 hours or less each night.
Approximately 25% of boys sleep for 6
hours or less.
Boys often complain of feeling tired. They are
not alone in seeing sleep deprivation as a
badge of honour; being tired is often presented
as concrete evidence that one is working hard.
Rest is often equated with laziness. In her
book The Sleep Revolution, Arianna Huffington
refers to the “collective delusion that overwork
and burnout are the price we must pay in
order to succeed”. In fact, we are far more
successful when we prioritise sleep.
What happens when we sleep?
It is common for us to think of sleep as a
passive process. We associate it with switching
off. This is probably a large part of why it is the
obvious aspect of our lives to neglect when we
are busy. Sleep, we think, is a time when we
are doing nothing. But this is not true.
Studying sleep has revealed that it is a process
of intense neurological activity. During sleep,
brain activity is actually more varied than in an
awake state. In a very real sense, the brain is
renewed and ‘cleaned’ during sleep. Sleep
plays an important part in memory
consolidation and it improves our capacity for
finding creative solutions to everyday
problems.
There are four stages of sleep:
1. Light sleep. This is the transitional
phase between wakefulness and sleep.
Muscles are still active.
2. Slightly deeper sleep. Eye movement
slows and then stops. There is a
decrease in core body temperature.
3. Slow wave deep sleep, or delta sleep.
Delta waves are the slowest and
highest amplitude brain waves. During
this phase we are least likely to wake
up. Waking during this phase leaves us
feeling sleepy and disoriented. Any
sleep walking or talking is likely to
occur during this time.
4. REM sleep. This is characterised by
rapid eye movement and is when
dreaming occurs. The skeletal muscles
of a person during REM sleep are
effectively paralysed. A study from the
University of California, Berkeley,
found that REM sleep can help us
process emotional stress.
In a normal night, we experience between 3
and 5 cycles of this 4-stage process.
Sleep and physical health
Our own experiences are probably enough to
tell us that there is a connection between sleep
and physical health. When we are ill, we feel
the need to sleep more. When we don’t sleep
enough, we often feel unwell. A study by the
University of Exeter in the UK revealed that
those who had averaged less than 7 hours of
sleep were almost three times more likely to
come down with a cold than those who had
slept for 8 hours or more.
In the world of elite sport, sleep is revered as a
crucial part of ensuring peak performance.
Professional triathlete Jarrod Shoemaker
describes sleep as ‘half of [his] training’. Those
at the leading edge of the sports world have
concluded that sleep is the ultimate
performance enhancing drug. During deep
sleep, the growth hormone is released, which
improves muscle repair. Sleep is also an
important part in maintaining a healthy
metabolism.
Sleep and mental health
Poor sleep can be both a cause and a symptom
of mental health problems.
Moreover,
learning to sleep well is one important factor in
preserving good mental health. Sleep is
profoundly intertwined with virtually every
aspect of brain health. When one considers
that the brain undergoes significant
development during adolescence, it is obvious
that sleep is particularly important for
teenagers.
A 2015 survey by the Sleep Council in the UK
found that 83% of British teenagers said that
their sleep was compromised by anxiety and
stress over exams. This can become something
of a vicious cycle; the more tired we are, the
more prone we are to feel anxious. The more
anxious we are, the harder it is to switch off
and fall asleep. This phenomenon can partly
be explained by the fact that sleep deprivation
results in higher levels of the stress hormone
cortisol the next day.
When boys feel stressed, they tend to focus on
the various things they need to do in order to
regain control. Understandably and admirably,
this often leads to them doing more. Quantity
is more tangible and immediately achievable
than quality. Boys rarely consider sleep as one
of the things they should do more of, but they
need to. Stress is only made worse by
increased frantic activity. A better focus would
be on the quality of their activities. It is true
that they will feel less stressed when they are
performing well academically, physically and
emotionally. But such success is achieved by
being focused and efficient. This will only
happen when they are sleeping properly.
Sleep and learning
Sleep deprivation causes cognitive impairment.
A study by the University of Exeter found that
sleep almost doubles our chances of
remembering previously unrecalled material.
The post-sleep boost in memory accessibility
may indicate that some memories are
sharpened overnight.
Staying up very late to complete work or to
revise can be counter-productive.
It is
incredibly obvious to teachers when boys are
too tired to focus and absorb new information.
Tiredness also decreases their motivation to be
proactive and curious in lessons. When tired,
they are less inclined to push themselves or
explore new ideas. This is when the best
learning happens.
What sort of problems might teenagers have
with sleep?
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Teenagers often struggle to get to
sleep early enough to secure the
amount of rest they need. This is not
only because of digital distractions
(though more of that later). Biological
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changes during adolescence lead to a delay
in their sleep and circadian rhythms.
Typically, teenagers experience a ‘sleep
delay’ of 2-3 hours meaning that they are
naturally inclined to go to bed and wake up
later than adults.
The distractions caused by computer
games, phones and social media often lead
to boys going to bed late. Moreover,
constant digital connection and a fast-paced
stream of notifications throughout the day
means that they, like us, are in a
heightened state of anticipation. Even once
they have got into bed, it can be difficult for
the mind to switch off.
Instances of nightmares increase through
adolescence and peak in young adulthood.
Fitful or interrupted sleep is common. This
can be caused by a feeling of anxiety, by
environmental factors such as room
temperature and by diet, to name a few. In
October 2016, a poll carried out by Digital
Awareness UK and the Headmasters’ and
Headmistresses’ Conference found that
45% of teenagers check their mobile
phones after they have gone to bed. A
survey of 2750 11-18 year olds found that
10% admitted to checking their mobile
phones for notifications at least 10 times a
night. A third of those polled said that their
parents are not aware that they check their
mobile devices after going to bed. 68% of
respondents said that using their phones at
night affects their school work.
Are naps a good idea?
It is often thought that sleeping in the day will make
it more difficult to fall asleep at night. Whilst
excessive napping might have this effect, naps are
actually very good for us. Sleep researcher David
Randall comments that even a short nap ‘primes
our brains to function at a higher level, letting us
come up with better ideas, find solutions to puzzles
more quickly, identify patterns faster and
recall
information
more
accurately’.
Particularly given how difficult teenagers find
it to get enough sleep in light of their delayed
circadian rhythms, a short power nap before
completing homework might be a useful
strategy for some.
What strategies might help my son develop
healthier sleeping habits?
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Do not sleep with your mobile phone
in your room. Or if you do, put it on
flight mode so you don’t receive any
notifications.
Avoid screens for an hour before bed
if possible. The blue light from
screens reduces the production of the
sleep hormone melatonin and can
make it more difficult to fall asleep.
A ‘mind dump’, where you write
down all those things which
contribute to a racing mind when you
close your eyes can help. This might
effectively be a ‘to do’ list for the next
day or it might include bigger worries.
The ideal room temperature for sleep
is about 18 degrees celsius.
Daily exercise helps to improve sleep,
although intense exercise just before
bed will hinder sleep.
Eat 2-3 hours before bed
Reducing sugar and caffeine intake
will improve sleep, particularly in the
late afternoon and evening.
Foods shown to help sleep include
those rich in:
1. magnesium such as nuts,
seeds, leafy greens and
bananas
2. vitamin B6 such as fish, beans
and poultry
3. tryptophan such as chickpeas,
pumpkin seeds and turkey
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Some boys might find breathing
exercises, mindfulness techniques or
meditation useful. See below for
some useful resources.
A warm bath before bed can help
relaxation.
Resources
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www.mindfulnessinschools.org has a
9 minute audio file of a guided
‘beditation’
An app called ‘Beditations’ might
help, although this obviously means
having your phone in your room when
you sleep!
The Sleep Revolution by Arianna
Huffington is very readable and might
help to persuade boys to take their
sleep seriously.
Boys interested in the science of sleep
might find Sleep: A Very Short
Introduction a good place to start.
Any boy experiencing ongoing sleep
problems should visit his GP.