Objectives

 

• Students will be able to calculate the amount of sleep they need

• Students will be able to adjust their circadian rhythm

• Students will be able to analyze what keeps them awake 

• Students will be able to distinguish healthy sleeping positions

 

Lesson

 

1. Identifying sleep of students (Hook) Source (“Sleep in Middle and High School Students”)  2 minutes

 

1.  Q. Who is tired?

   1. “About 7 out of 10 (72.7%) did not get enough sleep on school nights” (“Sleep in Middle”)

2. Hand out survey.

 

1. Introduction to circadian rhythms. (Body); Source (“Effects of Light on Circadian Rhythms”) & (“Circadian Rhythms and Circadian Clock”)

 

1. Show Video “What makes you tick” 

   1. Look at the survey while video playing and determine circadian rhythms of the class. 

2. Circadian rhythms are the body’s sleep wake cycles. They are supposed to follow the day-night cycle of the earth.

3.  Circadian rhythms are most affected by light especially blue light

   1. “Melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland, especially in response to darkness” (“Circadian Rhythms”).

4. Circadian rhythms can be shifted

   1. Teenagers’ rhythm is already shifted to sleep later and wake up later.

   2. Blue light and night at light also shifts the circadian rhythm.

   3. Melatonin supplements can shift  circadian rhythms.

5. Compare what teenagers’ circadian should be to what the classes’ are.

 

1. How much sleep people need and why. (Introduction); Source (“Sleep in Middle and High School Students”)

 

1. High school students need eight to ten hours of sleep every day to have a healthy brain 

   1. Compare to what the class gets 

2. Sleep debt shows that one night of sleep does not correct sleep cycles 

   1. One night of extra sleep does not fully correct for a night of little sleep

 

1. Things that Keep people awake. (body); Source (Newsom)

 

1. Blue light is a major factor that keeps people awake

2. Blue light suppresses melatonin which is the hormone that puts people to sleep

   1. “Blue light suppresses the body’s release of melatonin, a hormone that makes us feel drowsy.” (Newsom).

   2. Blue light is a wavelength of light that is emitted from most screens 

      1. Phone computer tv

   3. The things that most people are on before bed is what is keeping them awake 

3. Training the body to know that the bed is for sleep 

 

1. Sleep rituals (body); Source (“8 Secrets to a Good Night's Sleep”)

 

1. Repeated  activities before bed help train the mind for sleep

   1. Ask class about their rituals 

2. Using the bed for sleep trains the mind and body to know that it is for sleep

 

1. Sleeping positions: source (Suni)

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1. Explain that sleeping positions don't affect the mind but the body 

   1. Good sleeping positions support the spine

      1. Back and side positions support the spine the best 

      2. Stomach positions twist head and neck out of alignment with spine 

2. Bad sleeping positions can led to back pain and aches 

 

Materials

 

• Powerpoint presentation

• Hand out survey