Pastoral Care

The A to Zzzzz of sleep

SLEEP is important part of health and considered one of the three pillars of health (along with exercise and diet).  We can often do not concentrate on getting enough sleep when our lives get busy and stress gets the better of us. For young people to regulate getting the right amount of sleep can also present difficulties with technology, issues of the world events creating stress as well as what is going on in their own lives. 

Here is an exert from an article on Reachout.com that give some facts about sleep but also allows the reader to assess whether you enough sleep is occurring. Parents and guardians may want to give this resource to their child or read through it with them to help try to keep and maintain healthy sleeping habits. 

Why do I need sleep?

Sleep is important to our physical health and emotional wellbeing. In the long term, insufficient sleep increases our risk of developing high blood pressure or diabetes. It also affects our mood and stress levels.

What’s a normal amount of sleep?

Experts have developed some guidelines regarding how much sleep we need. In general:

Adults should get seven to eight hours’ sleep per night.

Because they’re growing so fast, children, teenagers and young adults require at least nine hours of sleep per night. The extra hours allow for a healthy development of the brain and body.

When it comes to sleep, though, everyone is different. Some people need more than the recommended amount of sleep, while others can function just fine on less.

How do I know if I’m getting enough sleep?

Here are some signs that you’re sleeping well:

• You fall asleep within 20 minutes of lying down.
• You don’t usually wake up more than twice a night (which you may not even remember).
• You don’t feel tired during the day.
• You’re able to stay focused during the day.
• You have enough energy throughout the day.

Interestingly, most people nowadays are sleep deprived to some degree.

Here are some signs that you’re not getting enough sleep:

• You don’t feel refreshed when you wake up in the morning.
• You find it difficult to concentrate during the day.
• You feel fatigued or drowsy throughout the day.
• You forget things easily.
• You often feel grumpy or moody.

Please go to https://au.reachout.com/articles/how-much-sleep-do-i-need to get more information on this and some tips to help get a good night’s sleep.

The Pastoral Care Team