The Importance of Sleep, Learning and Academic Achievement
With the first month of school drawing to a close, it is normal for students to start feeling a little fatigued at the end of the school day. We have lost our ‘match fitness’ with school after being in lockdown for the past two years. As a parent of two children, one in primary school and the other in secondary school, I’ve noticed the change in my children’s energy levels once they get home from school as the term has progressed. I’m now ensuring they go to bed at an appropriate time to help them recover and energise for the upcoming school day.
From an education neuroscience perspective, sleep is important in learning and memory consolidation as it helps to strengthen and integrate new memories in our brain. Sleep also helps with mood regulation and our ability to demonstrate resilience when things go wrong.
It is important to note that he quality of the sleep is just as important as the quantity of sleep. Distractions such as mobile phones, laptops, TVs and other digital devices all disrupt sleep and can have negative impacts on learning, concentration and engagement in the classroom.
School TV has extensive information from Dr Michael Carr-Greg and Australia’s leading sleep specialists on the importance of sleep, how much sleep is needed at each stage of development and the consequences for lack of sleep. I encourage parents to click on the link Sleep | Hume Anglican Grammar (schooltv.me) and watch the videos at their leisure. There are several sleep resources available which parents can access by clicking on resources for the topic.
I encourage parents to speak to their child’s Homeroom teacher if they have any concerns about their wellbeing or sleep patterns at home.
