Healthy sleep

ILBC Medical Department

Learning objectives
• To know the importance of sleep

• To understand the importance of getting enough sleep and having

good sleep habits

• To know the issues that prevent a good night sleep

YOU WILL LEARN...
Why sleep is important and how you can best prepare your body and mind
for restful sleep.
HOW
MUCH
SLEEP?

• How many hours of

sleep did you get last
night?
• How many hours of
sleep do you get on the
weekend?
• How many hours of
sleep do you think you
should get every night?
Consequence

s of poor

sleep
Sleep deprivation can cause
difficulties with appetite, learning,
memory, thinking, and feelings,
which may lead to poor school and
work performance and difficulty with
relationships (AASM, 2008)
Stick to a sleep
schedule
Get up at the same time every day,
even on weekends or during vacations
If you don't get enough sleep, you can
make it up the following day, but then
sleep schedule will be off and you'll
continue the cycle
Set a bedtime that is early enough for
you to get at least the recommended
hours of sleep for your age
State of mind
Don't go to bed unless you are sleepy
If you don't asleep after 20 minutes, get
out of bed
Establish a relaxing bedtime routine
Avoid intense, stimulating movies, and TV
shows and try reading which will exhaust
your eyes
Try meditation and/or playing soothing
music
 Use your bed only for sleep, not for
screen time, studying, etc.
Make your bedroom a quiet and
relaxing environment
Keep the room at a comfortable, cool
temperature because of your body
temperature increases while you sleep
which is why sometimes you do a "log
pop" out from under your sheets— you
are cooling off!

The bedroom is for sleeping

Lights
Limit exposure to bright light in
low and the evenings
out

Turn off electronic devices at least

30 minutes before bedtime
Small portions of certain foods

01 02 03 04
Don’t eat a large meal Avoid consuming Reduce your fluid Some foods can
before bedtime: if caffeine or alcohol in intake before bedtime facilitate and induce
you're hungry at night, the late afternoon or to limit the number of sleep, e.g., warm milk,
eat a light, healthy evening times you need to get nuts, and fruits that
snack up contain serotonin or
melatonin (such as
kiwi, bananas, oranges,
and pineapples)

Melatonin is a hormone that promotes sleep that is affected by light (National Sleep Foundation)
Serotonin is a precursor to melatonin (National Sleep Foundation)
 Exercise regularly well before you plan to
go to sleep

Try to exercise 5 – 6 hours prior to

sleeping since it helps you fall asleep

Exercise is However, exercising 3 hours or less prior

to bedtime may stimulate you

great, but not

too late
Physical Health
It’s not called beauty sleep for nothing…

During sleep, hormones are released that support different bodily functions.

This includes our growth, strength, and other aspects of our physical development.

Sleep also boosts our immune system and can help avoid those pesky spots and
blemishes.

A good sleep routine will help to make your skin clearer, eyes brighter, and hair thicker
and less greasy.

Getting the right amount of sleep also makes it easier to maintain a healthy weight as it
helps to control the appetite and reduces cravings for sugary junk food.
Performance

Having good quality sleep is vital to perform well and reach your potential.

During sleep, your body repairs tissue and restores your energy levels.

Having a good night’s sleep means you’ll be faster, with better coordination,
improved reaction times, and increased mental and physical stamina.

You will also recover quicker from injuries.

Sleep also improves memory and learning.

Lack of sleep will make it harder to concentrate and remember important things.

After a poor night’s sleep, anything you learnt yesterday could be gone today – the
last thing you need when you have an exam!
During sleep, your brain is processing all the information you’ve received
throughout the day, forming memories and keeping them for later.

Doing certain activities when sleep deprived (such as driving) is actually very
dangerous.

Because your reaction times become much slower, it increases the risk of
mistakes and accidents.
Managing emotions
You’re more likely to feel down when you are tired.

Sleep’s restorative function in ‘recharging’ the brain at the end of each day
supports our ability to manage and cope.

Just having one bad night’s sleep can make you feel low, emotional, and grumpy
the next day. So, when we have consistently poor sleep, it can become really
difficult to regulate our emotions.

Getting a good quality night’s sleep and having a consistent routine can help you
to cope better with the stress of life such as exams, parents and relationships.

You’ll feel better in yourself and be able to manage your feelings and emotions in
a more balanced way.

Recognising and sorting out sleep problems as soon as they are identified is
important to reduce the risk of anxiety and depression.
 Stage 1 Stage 2
• Light sleep: between being awake and • Preparing for deep sleep
falling asleep • Disengaged from surroundings
• Can wake up easily • Your heart and breathing rate still

Stages
• Eyes closed regular
• Legs twitch
• Lasts up to 7 minutes

of
sleep Stage 3 & 4
• Deep sleep: most difficult to be woken
up at this stage
Stage 5
• Rapid eye movement (REM) stage
• 90 minutes after fall sleep
• Body becomes less responsive to outside • Heart and breathing rate increases and
Possible to dream stimuli become erratic
• Repair and regenerate tissues, build • Intense dreaming due to heightened
bone and muscle, strengthen the brain activity
in stages 1 – 4, immune system • Eyes moving back and forth like
watching TV
but most
dreaming in
5th/final stage
Some •
•
Your brain is just as active if not more when you are asleep
Time for your body to repair and rejuvenate from the day
notable • On average, people typically go through 5 – 6 sleep cycles a night, and

facts •
each cycle usually lasts around 90 minutes
After the REM stage, you should/can wake up, which is why you can
about remember your dream

sleep • If you do not wake up at the end of your dream/final stage, then you repeat
the sleep cycle again
• After your first sleep cycle, the amount of time you spend in stage 1 and 2
shortens dramatically while the amount of time you spend in stage 3 and 4
(the most important stages) grows (National sleep foundation)
• Avoid substances, like alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco, that can affect your
sleep cycles
• Caffeine too late can make it hard to fall asleep; meanwhile, alcohol, and
tobacco can chemically prevent your brain from entering stages 3 and 4,
which means that consuming both of these things during the day don’t
allow you to get a good, rehabilitating night's sleep (Harvard Medical
School, 2007)
Sleep
disorders

Also called somnipathies

Three major disorders
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Snoring
• Insomnia
 Snoring
Vibration of respiratory structures
and the resulting sound due to
obstructed air movement during
breathing while sleeping
Mild form of sleep apnea
Occurs when air flows past
relaxed tissues, such as tongue,
soft palate and airway, as you
breathe
Sagging tissues narrow your
airway, causing these tissues to
vibrate This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND.
Sleep apnea

EXTREME VARIATION DUE TO OVERRELAXED PARTIALLY CLOSED TEMPORARILY STOPS BREATHING REPEATED WAKING UP
OF SNORING MUSCLES AIRWAY (SNORING) TO BREATHING UNTIL THE REPEATEDLY DURING THE NIGHT,
COMPLETE BLOCKAGE BRAIN IS STIMULATED PAUSES/STOPS AND VERY LOUD SNORING,
OF AIRWAY DURING BY A LOW OXYGEN RESTARTS GETTING TIRED AND
SLEEPING— LEVEL AND THIS THROUGHOUT THE SLEEPY DURING THE
OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP RESTARTS BREATHING NIGHT DAY
APNEA
 Obesity
Causes of sleep
Large tonsils
apnea
Brain not communicating with
airway muscles effectively
Smoking (inflamed airway
tissues)
Alcohol (leads to muscles
relaxation in throat)
Genetics
 Hard time falling asleep or staying asleep
Causes
• Stress
• Depression
• Anxiety
• ADHD
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND. • Caffeine and medications

Insomnia
 Getting a good night's sleep (8 – 10 hours/day for
teens) is essential to our health, like eating/drinking
and exercising

Sleep helps us repair our minds and bodies

Summary
points Five stages of sleep

Accumulating sleep debt or having poor sleep habits

can keep you from being your best

Sleep disorders— medical conditions that impact our

quality of sleep

Remember to practice good sleep habits (sleep

hygiene) for a healthier you
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under
CC BY-NC.
 https://www.ck12.org/tebook/healthc
orps-skills-for-a-healthy-me/section/6
.3/
https://www.ck12.org/book/teen-heal
th-literacy/section/5.2/

References Why is sleep so important? | Oxford

Health CAMHSOxford Health CAMHS

Additional resources
https://youtu.be/gedoSfZvBgE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1
XW-q3A20Nc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l
Thank
you

ILBC Medical
Department

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND.