Lesson 2.3: Healthy Sleep and Rest

Overview

This lesson focuses on learning about the importance of quality sleep and ways to help improve how well you sleep.

Learning Targets

  • LO10: Explain why sleep is important.
  • LO11: Explain how much sleep you need at different stages of life.
  • LO12: Explain common sleep problems.
  • LO13: Describe ways to help improve how well you sleep.
  • LO14: Assess your sleep habits and develop a plan to improve your sleep quality.

Preparation

For the Warm-Up Activity: Write the Journal Question on the board or identify (and copy as needed) the worksheets you plan to use:

For the Content Focus: Make copies of the Note-Taking Guide. Project the Lesson 2.3 PowerPoint slides.

For the Lesson Focus: Copy the Lesson 2.3 Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet: Developing Self-Management for Good Sleep.

Warm-Up Activity

Select a warm-up activity to help get your class focused and on task.

  • Journal Question: How many hours of sleep did you get last night? What helps you get a good night’s sleep? What makes it harder for you to sleep?
    • Option: Write or project the question and have students respond in their journal or on their “bell ringer” sheet as they enter class.
    • Option: Have students discuss the question with a partner or in a small group.
  • Vocabulary Review: Have students work individually, in pairs, or in small groups to complete the Lesson 2.3 Vocabulary Review Worksheet
  • Quiz: Have students complete the Lesson 2.3 Quiz to assess their prior knowledge.
    • Option: Collect the quiz and use it alongside a posttest to demonstrate student learning.
    • Option: Have students share their answers with a partner and then go over the answers together as a class.

Lesson Content

Review the content from the textbook lesson.

  • Option: Use the Lesson 2.3 PowerPoint slides to review the chapter content.
  • Option: Have students use the Note-Taking Guide to review chapter content. Ask students to work individually, in pairs, or in small groups. Review the questions as a class if time permits.

Lesson Focus: Developing Self-Management for Good Sleep

  1. Give each student a copy of the Developing Self-Management for Good Sleep Worksheet.
  2. Have students work individually to complete the task on the worksheet and create their plan.
  3. Once students have completed evaluating their sleep patterns and have written their sleep goal, tell them to take this worksheet home and complete steps 4 and 5 as they are monitoring their progress over the next seven days.
    Option: You can help students remember by giving them time to evaluate their sleep the night before at some point during class (as a “bell ringer” or end-of-class activity) during the seven-day period. When students submit their Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet, make sure they take time to evaluate their goal to see how they can improve their sleep in steps 4 and 5.
    Option: Have students reflect upon their sleep patterns and how well they achieved or did not achieve their sleep goal.

Challenge Activity

Have students needing an additional challenge work on the following Thinking Critically task.

Many high school and college students stay up late or pull an “all-nighter” when preparing for important exams or assessments. Do you think this is a smart decision? Do you think the benefits of studying all night outweigh the impact of not getting any sleep? Explain your thinking using appropriate terminology and facts.

Reflection and Summary

Review the critical content from today’s lesson. Review the learning targets and ask students to answer each question posed.

Can you...

  • Explain why sleep is important?

    An adequate amount of sleep is enough to help you function properly throughout the day. If you wake up feeling refreshed and well-rested, you probably got a good quality of sleep. Some scientists believe that your brain uses sleep to recover from stress, solve problems, and replenish important chemicals it needs in order to function.

  • Explain how much sleep you need at different stages of life?

    Age Amount of recommended sleep
    Newborn (0 to 3 months) 14 to 17 hours
    Infant (4 to 12 months) 12 to 16 hours
    Toddler (1 to 2 years) 11 to 14 hours
    Preschooler (3 to 5 years) 10 to 13 hours
    School-age (6 to 12 years) 9 to 12 hours
    Teenage (13 to 18 years) 8 to 10 hours
    Adult 7 or more hours

  • Explain common sleep problems?

    Bed-wetting (accidentally urinating while sleeping), insomnia (not being able to fall asleep or sleep through the night), nightmares (scary dreams that can cause you to wake up), sleepwalking (getting out of bed and walking around while in a state of deep sleep), sleep apnea (stopping breathing for short periods of time during sleep), and narcolepsy (falling asleep suddenly during the day)

  • Describe ways to help improve how well you sleep?

    If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, it might be helpful to develop a clear sleep routine. A sleep routine is a set of behaviors or rituals you do consistently when you are getting ready for bed and when you go to bed.

  • Assess your sleep habits and develop a plan to improve your sleep quality?

    Assess your sleep habits by keeping track of your bedtime routine, what time you go to sleep each night, how many hours you sleep, if you wake up during the night, if you have a hard time falling asleep, and if you wake up tired in the morning. Based on your sleep habits, you should develop a plan to improve sleep quality.

Assessment

Complete one or more of the following assessment tasks for this lesson.

Take It Home

Talk to a family member in your home about the importance of creating a sleep routine and a good sleeping environment. Look at the environment that person sleeps in and offer suggestions on how to improve their sleep routine and their sleeping environment.