Year 11 Pastoral Guardian

The focus of these discussions will be centred on brain chemistry and how important it is to be able to regulate cortisol, dopamine, and melatonin in order to maximise academic results. 

“Sleep is also critical for what happened the previous day.  Extensive work in both animals and humans shows a crucial function of sleep is to re-process and consolidate what happened during the day.’’  

QBI’s Director Professor Pankaj Sah writes in a piece for The Conversation.  Sleep deprivation can affect your daughter’s ability to memorise and store the information she has learnt during her lessons.  Sleep creates long-term memories and consolidates learning.  Indeed, sacrificing sleep for extra study time can be counterproductive and result in increased problems with learning at school. 

According to the Centre for Education in Sleep (ACES), secondary school students require eight to ten hours' sleep per day.  ACES believe this is largely due to the delayed release of melatonin at night in adolescents, causing the sleep hormone to remain longer in their system, causing lethargy, listlessness, and what may appear laziness in the mornings - consequently, exposing your daughter to longer periods of time where she is not having the hours she needs to function and learn.  Indeed, she may have short-lived bouts of sleep but, if this continues, sleep deprivation may cause physiological, emotional, and cognitive effects which are detrimental to her wellbeing.  Have you seen the warning signs; if not, ask yourself these questions?

• Does a consistent sleep pattern exist?
• How many hours does your daughter sleep?
• Is caffeine part of your daughter’s diet?
• Is your daughter eating enough melatonin-rich foods?
•  

Research has indicated that, when your daughter is studying - especially late at night - if hungry, she should be encouraged to eat something with protein as bedtime approaches. 

As your daughter approaches a new pathway in her education, her wellbeing is an integral part of her journey to happiness. 

For further information click on the link to Simon Sinek who is an author and motivational speaker whose conversation looks at remarkable patterns around wellbeing in a contemporary context. 

Bridget Piper