Lesson video

Hello! Thanks for joining me today.

My name is Miss T, and today we're going to be looking at the importance of quality sleep, and that's part of our unit on physical health: "What's So Important About Sleep?" So let's get started with today's lesson.

The outcome for our lesson today is I can explain why sleep is important and the consequences of too little or too much sleep.

Before we get started on today's lesson, it's really important that we think about the ground rules that we follow when we're having discussions in our classrooms. We've got Laura firstly saying, "Listen to others.

It's okay to disagree with each other, but we should listen properly before making assumptions or deciding how to respond.

And when we disagree, we challenge the statement, we don't challenge the person." We've got Jacob saying, "No judgement.

We can explore beliefs and misunderstandings about a topic without fear of being judged." Andeep tells us to respect privacy.

He says we can discuss examples, but we do not use names or descriptions that could identify anyone, including ourselves.

And finally, Izzy reminds us to choose the level of participation that is right for us.

Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question or join a discussion.

We never put anyone on the spot.

So with those in mind, let's get started with today's lesson.

So we've got four keywords for today's lesson.

The first word is hormones, which are chemical substances that help to transport messages around our bodies.

And then we have REM sleep, which is short for rapid eye movement sleep.

And this stage of sleep is when the brain is most active and dreaming occurs.

We then have sleep/wake homeostasis, which is the body's internal sleep tracker that tells us when we need to sleep.

And finally, the keyword, sleep deprivation, which means not getting enough sleep over a period of time.

As we go through today's lesson, see where these keywords are used and see if you can use them in your own responses.

We have three lesson outlines that we're going to look at today.

Firstly, why is sleep so important? Secondly, what happens when I'm asleep? And finally, how much sleep do different people need? So let's look at our first lesson outline: Why is sleep so important? So Izzy starts today's lesson with an interesting fact.

She says, "Did you know that we spend nearly a third of our lives asleep? And Andeep replies, "Sleep is something that we do every day, but we don't always think about how important it is.

It is as important to our bodies as food and water." I agree, Andeep.

So although we are asleep, our bodies and brains stay quite active because our bodies use sleep to recuperate and rebuild and our brains use sleep to organise memories and make connections.

Sleep is important for our bodies because: Izzy says, "When we get enough sleep, we give our bodies time to build and strengthen." And Alex says, "When we are sleeping, growth hormones travel through our body and help to repair our muscles." Jacob then says, "Having enough sleep can give us more energy.

So three really important reasons to get enough sleep.

Sleep is important for our brains because it's when short-term memories, the memories we create during the day, move to our long-term memory.

This helps us to learn and to create new memories.

Jacob says, "This means we can store information and recall it when we need it." So this is our first check for understanding.

True or false, our brains stay active while we sleep? Pause your screen while you think about your answer.

If you decided that this statement, our brains stay active while we sleep, was true, then you'd be correct.

Well done.

So Dr.

Elsie here says, "Having regular, good quality sleep is important because it decreases the risks of developing chronic, which means long-term, health conditions." She then says, "When we sleep, we allow our bodies to balance and regulate our hormones.

A lack of sleep means that these hormones are imbalanced." And you can see the use of that keyword there.

"This can then increase the risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes," examples of chronic conditions.

So let's come to our next check for understanding.

We've got a sentence this time with a missing word.

Can you complete it? It says: The right amount of quality sleep can help our bodies to balance and regulate our.

Pause your screen while you complete the answer.

If you selected the keyword hormones, then you would be correct.

Well done.

So some of the hormones that are produced during our sleep are called leptin and ghrelin, which help to regulate our appetites.

A lack of sleep impacts our levels of these hormones.

This can make us feel hungry when we don't necessarily need to eat.

Increased hunger can lead to snacking and eating more calories than we need, which could lead to excess weight gain.

Dr.

Elsie says here that poor sleep can also make us struggle to regulate our emotions.

Not only can this make us more emotional, but over time can lead to more serious conditions like depression.

So I'll check for understanding here.

The hormones leptin and ghrelin are responsible for controlling our.

Is it A, blood pressure, B, appetite, or C, cardiovascular health? Pause your screen while you think about your answer.

So we were looking for the answer to the question: The hormones leptin and ghrelin are responsible for controlling our, A, blood pressure, B, appetite, or C, cardiovascular health? So if you selected B, appetite, then you'd be correct.

So let's come to Task A.

We've got some statements here from Sam and Lucas.

The first thing you need to do is identify whether each statement is true or false.

You can use a tick or a cross to indicate that.

And then secondly, can you explain why the false statements are incorrect? So Lucas starts by saying, "Getting a good night's sleep is only important for our bodies to rest and recuperate." And Sam then says, "Sleep can help to benefit our bodies and brains." Lucas also says that quality sleep can help to balance hormones, decreasing the risks of developing chronic disease.

Sam says, "Leptin and ghrelin are hormones that help regulate how long we sleep for." So pause your screen while you complete Task A.

Well done for completing both parts of this task.

The first thing you were going to do is identify whether the statements were true or false.

So when Lucas said, "Getting a good night's sleep is only important for our bodies to rest and recuperate," that statement was false.

But when Sam said, "Sleep can help to benefit our bodies and brains," that was correct.

Lucas then said that quality sleep can help to balance hormones, decreasing the risks of developing chronic disease.

And that statement was correct.

And Sam then said, "Leptin and ghrelin are hormones that help regulate how long we sleep for." And that statement was incorrect.

You were then going to choose the two false statements and explain why they were incorrect.

So when Lucas said, "Getting a good night's sleep is only important for bodies to rest and recuperate," he was incorrect because sleep can benefit our bodies and brains by allowing us to move short-term memories to our long-term memory, and regulating our emotions, helping prevent mental health conditions like depression.

Sam's statement was also incorrect, and that was because leptin and ghrelin are the hormones that help to regulate our appetite.

These hormones are produced while we sleep, so a lack of sleep can affect our appetites.

Well done.

So we're now gonna move on to our second lesson outline for today: What happens when I'm asleep? So our sleep is divided into two categories.

We've got non-rapid eye movement sleep, which is NREM for short, and we've got rapid eye movement sleep, REM sleep.

Non-rapid eye movement sleep stage one is the first stage of sleep, and this is when we move from light to deep sleep.

And as this happens, our heart rate starts to slow, our body temperature drops, and our brain activities decreases.

So Dr.

Elsie here says that NREM sleep is important because this is the time that the body can focus on repairing tissue, muscle growth, and strengthening our immune systems. So then REM sleep is the final stage of sleep.

And during this period of sleep, we have relaxed muscles, irregular breathing, an elevated heart rate, and increased brain activity.

Dr.

Elsie says that REM sleep is important because this is when our brains develop and move our short-term memories to our long-term memory.

This is also when we experience dreams. So a check for understanding: Can you complete this sentence? We are most likely to experience dreams in the stage.

Pause your screen while you think about your answer.

If you selected the words REM sleep to complete this sentence, then you'd be correct because that is the period of time that we are most likely to experience dreams. Both NREM and REM sleep are needed throughout the night for us to mentally and physically benefit from sleep.

Andeep says that we will experience both NREM and REM sleep in cycles of 90 to 120 minutes.

So the sleep cycle of NREM and REM stages looks a bit like this: We begin in NREM sleep stage 1, and that's the transition period from being awake to falling asleep.

We then move into NREM sleep stage 2, that's when our heart rate slows and brain activity slows as we start to relax.

NREM sleep stage 3 is when our breathing slows, our muscles are really starting to relax here, our blood pressure drops and deep sleep happens.

And then towards the end of this cycle, we move into REM sleep stage 4.

This is when our brains become active, dreams occur, and our eyes, even though they're closed, start to move rapidly.

So in this check for understanding, can you select which stage of sleep we experience deep sleep in? Is it NREM stage 1, stage 2, or stage 3? Pause your screen while you think about your answer.

If you identified that the stage of sleep we experience deep sleep in was NREM stage 3, then you'd be correct.

So in Task B here, we've got a complete the blank paragraph.

So can you complete these sentences to explain our sleep cycle? It goes: When we first fall asleep, we enter the stages of our sleep.

Initially, this is the period from being awake to falling asleep.

As this happens, our rate and activity start to slow.

The stages of deep sleep when our muscles relax and our pressure drops, allowing the body to repair itself.

The final stage is, and this is when our brain starts to move memories to our memory.

It is also when we are most likely to experience.

There we go.

So in the pauses and where you see those lines, can you complete the gaps to complete this sentence? Pause your screen while you complete Task B.

So your completed paragraph should look like this: When we first fall asleep, we enter the NREM stages of our sleep.

Initially, this is the transition period from being awake to falling asleep.

As this happens, our heart rate and brain activity starts to slow.

The stages of deep sleep when our muscles relax and our blood pressure drops, allowing the body to repair itself.

The final stage is REM sleep, and this is when our brain starts to move short-term memories to our long-term memory.

It is also when we are most likely to experience dreams. Well done.

So let's move to our final lesson outline for today: How much sleep do different people need? Izzy starts by saying, "How does our body know when it's time to go to sleep?" And Dr.

Elsie replies.

She says that sleep/wake homeostasis is how your body keeps track of how long you've been awake and how much sleep you need.

It makes sure that you stay balanced and rested.

So sleep/wake homeostasis measures our sleep a bit like a battery.

We wake up fully charged and energised for the day.

As we go through the day, our energy depletes, it starts to be used up.

The more energy we use during the day, the more our body makes us feel sleepy.

And this is our body's way of telling us to rest.

And if we ignore our body's signs of tiredness over a long period of time, then we can start to experience symptoms of sleep deprivation.

Sleep deprivation happens when we don't get enough sleep to meet the needs of our body.

This can happen for different reasons, such as staying up too late, having interrupted sleep, or having a sleep disorder.

Sleep deprivation can have serious impacts on both the brain and body, especially if this continues over longer periods of time.

Dr.

Elsie says that when you are tired, you will find it harder to concentrate, lack energy, and your responses will be slower.

These are the signs that you need to recharge.

So in our check for understanding here, can you identify which two statements are incorrect? A, sleep/wake homeostasis is how the body moves short-term memories to long-term memory.

B, sleep-wake homeostasis is the system in the body that helps to control our hormones during sleep.

And C, sleep-wake homeostasis is the body's way of telling us when we need to sleep and keep ourselves rested.

Pause your screen while you identify which two statements are incorrect.

If you identified that the two incorrect statements were A and B, then you would be right.

Well done.

Izzy asks, "Does everyone need the same amount of sleep?" And Dr.

Elsie responds that the amount of sleep a person needs depends on age, lifestyle, and health.

We need less sleep as we get older because we're not growing as much.

And we can see Sofia here, and then Sofia growing up into secondary school there.

She says now, "I need slightly less sleep now than I did in primary school because I'm growing slower compared to then.

However, I do need more sleep than my parents as I'm a teenager." So teenagers' biological clocks change as they get older.

This can sometimes be up to two hours later than when they were children.

This could mean that a teenager who used to fall asleep at 8 PM now might not be able to sleep until 10 PM.

Our lifestyles and health can also have an impact on how much sleep we need.

For example, a professional athlete will be more active in the day and would need more sleep than someone who is less active.

Dr.

Elsie says that you might find that on days when you've been more sedentary, spending a lot of time sitting down, that it's harder to go to sleep.

And this is because you've not used enough energy and your sleep/wake homeostasis tracker doesn't realise that it's bedtime.

So a guide to how much sleep we need changes as we get older.

For babies, they need about 12 to 16 hours of sleep a day, but they will be spread out across the day, including multiple naps.

For young children aged one to five years, they need about 11 to 14 hours of sleep a day.

And that will also include daily naps, but they start to reduce over time.

For older children, six to 13 years, they need about nine to 12 hours of sleep a day, and that will include regular early bedtimes.

When we look at teenagers, 14 to 17 years approximately, they need between eight and 10 hours of sleep a day.

And as we said before, teenagers may stay up later because of differences in their internal clocks as they go through adolescence.

And then finally, for adults, around seven to nine hours of sleep.

Slightly older adults will need less sleep due to changing sleep patterns.

Some people don't get enough sleep because they fall asleep with electrical gadgets on.

When you fall asleep with either the TV on, listening to music, or using smartphones right up to when you fall asleep, it's called junk sleep.

And junk sleep is poor quality sleep because it doesn't give the body and brain the length of time or quality of sleep to rest properly.

So in this check for understanding, can you remember how much sleep is recommended for a 15-year-old? Is it A, nine to 11 hours per night, is it B, eight to 10 hours per night, or is it C, seven to nine hours per night? Pause your screen while you think about your answer.

If you identified that the correct answer was B, then well done.

So our final task for today.

Consider the idea of bedtime routines for children of different ages.

For example, a 14-year-old and a 9-year-old might have different sleep needs.

Can you write an argument explaining whether or not it's fair for both to have the same bedtime? Use evidence that we've talked about, age and sleep requirements, to support your ideas.

Pause your screen while you put together your argument.

So you were asked to write an argument explaining whether or not it's fair for both a 14-year-old and a 9-year-old to have the same bedtime.

Your answer may have looked like this if you thought it was not fair: It is not fair for younger children and teenagers to have the same bedtime.

Younger children and teenagers need different amounts of sleep; a 9-year-old might need between nine to 12 hours of sleep per night, whereas a 14-year-old needs between eight to 10 hours of sleep per night.

In addition, teenagers have a different internal clock to younger children, which means that they may not be able to fall asleep until later in the evening; this can be up to two hours later than a younger child.

Therefore, they should have different bedtimes.

Well done for your work today.

The summary of our lesson is when we are asleep, our bodies and brains stay quite active.

Sleep helps our bodies to recuperate and rebuild, and our brains to move short-term memories to our long-term memory.

We also talked about the idea that sleep is crucial for our health because it can help to prevent some chronic diseases and produces hormones that regulate our mood.

We looked at sleep cycles and talked about the fact that there are two main types of sleep, NREM sleep and REM sleep, and that we need a combination of both these types of sleep to get proper rest.

We discussed sleep/wake homeostasis, and that's how our body tracks the energy we've used and lets us know when we need to sleep.

And we also said that a lack of sleep over a long period of time is called sleep deprivation, and that this can have a range of serious impacts on our health.

If you want any further information, you can visit the NHS Live Well site, which gives advice about healthy living and exercise, or the NHS website, which gives general advice about health and prevention, including how to access their services.