Senior School Update   

Senior students are settling back into the rhythm of term with numerous assessment and extracurricular opportunities beginning to present themselves. Both year levels have been exploring ways to improve their study and revision strategies as well as their overall wellbeing, including, examining the importance of sleep.  

Sleep and Wellbeing 

Students examined the specific sleep needs relevant to their age groups. They discovered that they require between 8-10 hours per evening of sleep and they learned about the difference between Rapid Eye Movement (REM) and Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) stages of sleep and their specific purposes; including restoring the brain, consolidating memories and repairing our body/muscles/tissues as well as enabling us to regulate our mood. 

Our school Psychologist, Edith Bernardeau-S, explained the importance of the practices that occur directly before and after sleep and their impact on the quantity and quality of sleep we can achieve. She broke these practices into three sections:  

1. Evening/wind down routine (one hour before bed) 

2. Bedtime routine (15-30 mins before bedtime) 

3. Morning routine (10-15 mins after waking) 

Students examined strategies they could embed into each of these stages including: 

• Ensure your bedroom is cool, quiet, and dark  
• Avoid screens about an hour before bedtime (if you must, put on night mode) 
• As much as possible, keep bed for sleeping only (study at a desk) 
• Manage stress – calming and relaxing activities – note these will take practice  
• Create and maintain a bedtime routine. This should begin at the same time each night – sleep rituals that signal the brain it is time for sleep for example reading, showering, listening to relaxing music, journaling or mindfulness. 

Instead of worrying about not being able to sleep/get back to sleep, practice accepting this and then turning your focus to something that may help, for example: deep breathing, guided sleep meditation, listening to sleep music or a sleep story, progressive muscle relaxation.    

Further Resources: 

Websites 

https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/issues/why-sleep-so-important  

Apps 

Headspace – reduce stress, mindfulness, habits for wellbeing 

Happify – mindfulness, cognitive behavioural therapy 

Moodfit – mood and thought journals, guided breathing 

Rebecca Wright

Senior Years 11/12 Coordinator