Student Wellbeing
Technology and Sleep
Sleep is important for physical and mental health and well-being, especially for growing children and young people . Sleep restores children physically. It helps them learn and remember things, and it boosts immunity.
In children and young people, insufficient sleep is a contributing factor to mood, academic, or behavioural challenges.
The sleep routines and habits we create for our children can influence the strategies they use as adults. Children and young people often struggle to self-regulate when it comes to technology use at night. When they do not get enough high quality sleep they often feel tired the next day.
How can technology impact sleep and well-being?
Research shows that technology use delays bedtime and decreases total sleep time. It displaces the time that would have been spent sleeping and increases alertness which makes it harder to fall asleep. This can happen because the:
- Screen lights affect melatonin production (the ‘sleepy hormone’)
- Activities we engage in can be stimulating and affect our sleepiness
- We become absorbed in what we are doing and lose track of time
Children aged 5-11 require at least 10 hours sleep a night. It’s important to set a time at night when devices are put away. This can be 30-60 minutes before bedtime and the time can be used to engage in other relaxing activities (e.g. reading or playing relaxing music) to set a calming tone for sleep. This can be difficult to negotiate, but small adjustments such as encouraging interactive technology use earlier in the evening and passive technology use closer to bedtime, can be effective.
Lisa
Deputy Principal & Wellbeing Leader
lisa.heath@smcmeppingnth.catholic.edu.au
Jess
Deputy Principal & Learning Diversity Leader