Learning and Sleep

We all want to be as healthy as possible, and we know that we need to eat healthy, stay hydrated, and be physically active in order to do so.  There are a plethora of resources to help us eat well and to stay physically fit.  We’re reminded to drink plenty of water.  Sleep is the one health aspect that is often overlooked, and I think the reason for that is because it takes time.  We all live busy, over-extended lives.  We can work in healthy eating, exercise, and fluid consumption in our day; however, sleep takes time away from our busy schedules.  Sleep does some important things for our physical health and for our minds.  It is a major influence on learning for your child, too.

The human body needs sleep in order for the brain to function properly.  A lack of sleep can decrease the ability to concentrate, process memories, and think clearly.  The mind and body recharge during sleep and this affects alertness throughout the day.  Fighting diseases and maintaining a healthy body also happens during sleep.  Sleep deprivation can lead to type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and depression according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Sleep and Learning:

Let’s explore sleep and learning.  In the 60’s there was a theory that if one wanted to learn a second language all one had to do was sleep with headphones on while listening to instructional recordings of that particular language.  Obviously, that doesn’t work, but sleep does affect learning.  When you sleep, the brain eliminates all the small details of the day while remembering the gist.  The brain also discovers the rules which govern our lives which in turn helps it gain faster insight.

When I taught, I did a learning and sleep experiment with my students.  I would place 30 random objects in a box which I would cover.  I selected three volunteer students.  I uncovered the box, and allowed them to study its contents for one minute.  At the end of the minute, I would cover the box and ask them to write down all of the objects they could remember.  On the first day, students remembered between 40 to 60 percent of the objects they saw in the box.  I did this everyday during the week.  Each day this group of students would increase their scores from 10 to 20 percent.  On the last day, I selected three new students.  I gave them five minutes to study everything in the box and then gave them the recall test.  Most students in this group could only remember between 40 to 60 percent of the objects in the box.  This dramatically demonstrated to my class that a little study over multiple days is much more effective than cramming the night before or the day of a test.  This experiment is based on sleep, learning, and memory research done by Dr. Robert Stickgold of the Harvard Medical School.

Learning and sleep are intertwined.  The brain pulls everything together during sleep.  It holds on to information and removes the rest from memory.  This is why memorizing multiplication tables or spelling words can be such a challenge for some children.  It even processes at multiple levels during sleep by enhancing, integrating, and stabilizing new memories.  This is essential for learning new information. As you teach your children to study, teach them that a little bit of study over multiple days is a lot more effective for learning than attempting all study in one day.

How Much Sleep:

During sleep, neural connects that form our memories are strengthened when the day’s memory is consolidated.  Research has not come to consensus about how sleep makes this possible, but during the different stages of sleep brain waves form particular types of memory.  How much sleep is needed so these functions happen?  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Sleep Foundation recommend the following ranges for the following ages:

There are several behaviors to watch for in order to determine if your child is getting enough sleep.  When she/he wakes up in the morning, does she/he feel rested?  Do you notice day-time drowsiness?  Is your child irritable or moody? (Sometimes age affects this behavior, too.)  Does he/she lose focus or become forgetful?  Try increasing the hours of sleep and see if you notice a change in these behaviors.  Another benefit of additional hours of sleep is that children can go to bed earlier which gives parents a much needed break in the evening.

Some teens when they enter high school get involved in athletics, school activities, and advanced placement classes.  If your child is involved in several extra-curricular school activities and/or advanced classes, monitor that it is not affecting his/her sleep. It is more beneficial to eliminate an activity in order to increase sleep for your child.

Speaking of teens, you’ll notice that puberty shifts biological rhythms causing teens to become sleepy later in the evening and then sleep later in the morning.  When these biological changes combine with electronic devices in the bedroom and irregular bedtimes it can cause sleep deprivation in a lot of teen-aged children.  To combat this, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended a school start time of 8:30 a.m. or later for middle and high school.  To stay healthy and for optimal learning, teens need eight to ten hours of sleep.

Sleep Hormones - The Circadian Rhythm:

The hormones melatonin and cortisol operate opposite of one another, and the operation of these two hormones make up an individual’s circadian rhythm.  Melatonin is produced in the brain by the pineal gland.  Darkness prompts the production of melatonin; light causes the production to stop.  Melatonin causes the body to transition to a good quality, consistent sleep.

Cortisol, made in the adrenal glands, makes us alert.  In fact, you may have heard it called the fight or flight hormone because it causes the body to react to danger or stress.  Cortisol is cyclic in the body, and its highest level is about nine in the morning. Cortisol is at its lowest level about midnight.  Cortisol also controls other important functions such as balancing blood sugar and pressure as well as contributing to proper cardiac function and regulating the sleep-wake cycle.

High cortisol levels cause a number of health problems such as weight gain, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, depression, anxiety, and foggy brain.  Craving sugary and/or fatty foods is caused as cortisol levels begin to elevate.  Higher cortisol levels also lowers the amount of time spent in slow-wave, deep sleep also called REM (Rapid eye movement) sleep.  It is the slow-wave, deep sleep when cortisol balances in the body, so increasing sleep lowers cortisol which in turn lowers stress.

Tips for the Best Sleep Possible for your Child:

I’ve explained the cyclical sleep and awake hormones, and there are things we can do to best promote a circadian rhythm.  These tips work for children, teens, and adults.

Develop a consistent bed-time routine and time for your child and you.  Don’t negotiate for extra time past bed-time with your child.  One suggestion that works is to set bed-times by age.  For example it seems to help an eight-year-old go to bed knowing that when she/he turns ten, she/he can stay up fifteen minutes later.  Another effective part of a bed-time routine is to read before bed. Reading clears the mind and does an excellent job preparing the body for sleep.

To promote the body’s production of melatonin, power down all screens at least 30 minutes before sleep - no television, tablets, phones, etc.  If your child is using devices before bed, he/she may not feel sleepy or tired.  This could be a source of conflict in your family.  Turn off bright lights, too.  Reading also helps the body transition from lighted screens to melatonin production.

The body temperature actually lowers a degree or two when you fall asleep, so what  you wear to bed is important.  When the body becomes too hot it interrupts slow-wave, deep sleep (REM sleep).  When the body becomes too hot during sleep it can increase cortisol.  Sleep in light clothing reducing the numbers of layers worn at night.  Raising children is expensive, and money can be saved by not purchasing pajamas.

A 2017 study from the American Association for the Advancement of Science found that people’s sleep quality lowers as the temperature increases.  Ideally, the bedroom temperature should be between 60° to 68° F.  Layer sheets, blankets, and comforters so that when the body becomes too cold those items can be used for warmth. Conversely, these layers can easily be removed when one becomes too hot and begins to wake.  When the body works to keep itself warm it speeds up metabolism which helps the body stay trim according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.  Another trick to share with your child is to tell them if he/she wakes up too hot to turn her/his pillow over.  The cool side of the pillow will cause skin the skin temperature to drop producing sleep.  

Monitoring your child’s sleep is a little thing you can do to improve and enhance your child’s learning.  Allowing our body enough sleep is important for all of us, but it is often hard to do in our busy lives.  I think English dramatist Thomas Dekker (1572-1632) sums it up the best when he said, “Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.”