Sleep
Educating children and youth about sleep is important to help them develop skills and knowledge to make healthier choices.
Research has shown that shorter amounts of sleep during adolescents has been associated with depressed mood, reduced motivation, lower academic achievement, and behavioural and physical health problems.
Youth show improved cognitive functioning, alertness, and energy when they get adequate sleep. A natural shift in circadian rhythms occurs at puberty. This shift causes teens to feel tired later and fall asleep later. The later sleep/tired pattern conflicts with early school start times, which leads to decreased sleep during secondary school.
According to the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS, 2021) about half of students (48.9%) report getting at least eight hours of sleep on school nights. This means 51.1% are not getting at least eight hours of sleep. In Windsor-Essex County, 39% of students in grades 7 to 12 report meeting the National guidelines for 8+ hours of sleep per night (COMPASS, 2022). On average, students report getting 7.2 hours of sleep on weekday nights.
It is important to promote healthy sleep hygiene in the school’s Health and Physical Education curriculum. This can be supported by increasing and ensuring physical activity, being in natural daylight, and encouraging positive sleep behaviours, i.e. completing homework right after school and not using electronics prior to sleep. Providing students with tools to encourage health hygiene can improve their sleep quality, quantity, and their mental health.
Using the Ministry of Education’s Foundations for a Healthy School framework, schools, school boards, parents and community partners can work together to develop healthy school environments that promote and support student well-being.
Sleep resources and supports are organized below following this framework.
Resources & Information for:
Resources
- Sleep and Screen Time Resources for Educators: Content includes an infographic on sleep and screen time for teens, ideas to introduce sleep activities in the classroom, as well as links to other sleep resources.
- Canada’s 24 – Hour Movement Guidelines
- ParticipACTION- 2022 Children and Youth Report Card
- ParticipACTION- Sleep
- ParticipACTION- Healthy Sleep Hygiene in Kids
Lessons and Activities
- Ophea- Sufficient and Satisfactory Sleep Activity: Students brainstorm strategies they can use to get enough sleep every day.
- PHE Canada- Emotional Well-Being Education Activities: Students in grades 7-12 can create a wellness plan.
- Kids Help Phone- My Sleep Diary: have student use their website or download a pdf version of a sleep diary to track their sleep habits.
- KidsHealth in the Classroom offers a variety of class-based resources, activities, and lesson plans that address the topic of sleep.
- Teacher’s Guides: Kindergarten to Grade 2 – Human Body category includes Sleep
- Teacher’s Guides: Grade 3 to Grade 5 – Human Body category includes Sleep
- Teacher’s Guides: Grade 6 to Grade 8 – Human Body category includes Sleep
- Teacher’s Guides: Grade 9 to Grade 12 – Human Body category includes Sleep
- OPHEA Healthy Schools Certification- (French Version) Certification is a way to help promote the health and well-being of students, staff, and the school community. Contact your schools nurse for more information on how they can support your school in achieving a Healthy Schools Certification.
- Empower student groups, such as student council or student wellness council, to actively participate in identifying school needs and develop activities to address those needs.
- Sleep on it!: Canadian Public Health Campaign on sleep. Discusses sleep, provides support for sleep disorders and makes healthy sleep a public health priority.
- World Sleep Day!: World Sleep Day is March 17, 2023, the World Sleep Society supports to advance sleep health worldwide.
- RNAO’s-Youth Mental Health & Addiction Champion Toolkit - Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) partnered with public health units, School Boards, SMH ASSIST and provincial youth based organizations to develop a peer based youth mental health initiative. The partnership resulted in the development of the toolkit to support the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based, youth-led mental health promotion and substance misuse prevention initiatives in school settings. The toolkit includes guiding frameworks, how to build your team, youth training content, event planning, and evaluation tips.
- Promote healthy sleep hygiene in your school’s Health and Physical Education curriculum, including behaviours aimed at mitigating sources of stress (e.g., completing schoolwork before dinner as opposed to late at night and avoiding phones in the bed)
- Ensure students are being physically active throughout the school day and get natural daylight, which can improve sleep quality and quantity.
School Board Policies
- School boards can set policy that influence the social & environmental norms students’ experience. Consider delaying school start times. COMPASS study data found even minimal delays of 10 minutes are associated with increased sleep time, while 10-minute advances predicted reduced sleep. Please refer to your specific school board and/or school’s policies and code of conduct on sleep use for further information. Individual schools should speak to their school boards about whether they can develop individual school policies.
- WECHU Sleep and Screen Time Resource for Parents: Information on the importance of sleep for health and how to improve sleep and limit the use of screens. Downloadable resources are available in English, French, Arabic.
- WECHU- Sleep Tips for Super Sleeper Superstars: (English and French) a resource that gives parents information on the amount of sleep their child needs and tips on how to create health sleep habits. The resource includes an example of a bedtime routine that children can follow when getting ready for bed. There is also a blank chart that families can use to create their own routine.
- Sleep Foundation – Children and Sleep: this website has resources specifically for children and teens sleep habits.
- Canadian Pediatric Society- Teens and sleep: Why you need it and how to get enough: this website provides information for teens on the importance of sleep and how to create health sleep habits.
- Canadian Pediatric Society Caring for Kids- Healthy sleep for your baby and child: Information around the amount of sleep children need at different ages and tips to help your child sleep.
- SickKids- Sleep: Benefits and recommended amounts: Learn how sleep improves brain function and mental health and how much sleep your child needs each night.
- BC Children’s Hospital- Why getting a good night’s sleep is like a superpower for the whole family: this webpage provides information for families about building a bedtime routine, sticking to a sleep schedule, and creating a calm sleep zone.
- Kids Help Phone- Up all night? Get a better sleep with these tips: information for youth on positive sleep habits and a good sleep environment.
- Mental Health Literacy- Healthy Sleeping: a resource explaining the importance of sleep and providing tips to improve your sleep.
- Meant2Prevent- Sleep Resources for families: website provides information and resources about healthy sleep habits for children and teens.
- Sleep On It!- 8 Ways You Can Improve Your Sleep And Get Better Grades: webpage provides information on how sleep affects your grades and how to create health habits.
- Sleep On It!- 10 simple tips for better sleep: webpage provides information on tips to improve your sleep.
- Anxiety Canada- Getting a Good Night’s Sleep: webpage provides information on tips to improve your sleep. You can chart your progress using by downloading their Sleep Diary.
- Young and New Driver Resource Centre- Fatigued Driving: resource explaining fatigued driving, it’s signs, and how common it is for youth, and how to prevent it.
- WECHU Sleep and Screen Time Resource for Parents: Information on the importance of sleep for health and how to improve sleep and limit the use of screens. Downloadable resources are available in English, French, Arabic.
- WECHU- Sleep Tips for Super Sleeper Superstars: (English and French) a resource that gives parents information on the amount of sleep their child needs and tips on how to create health sleep habits. The resource includes an example of a bedtime routine that children can follow when getting ready for bed. There is also a blank chart that families can use to create their own routine.
- Sleep Foundation – Children and Sleep: this website has resources specifically for children and teens sleep habits.
- Canadian Pediatric Society- Teens and sleep: Why you need it and how to get enough: this website provides information for teens on the importance of sleep and how to create health sleep habits.
- Canadian Pediatric Society Caring for Kids- Healthy sleep for your baby and child: Information around the amount of sleep children need at different ages and tips to help your child sleep.
- SickKids- Sleep: Benefits and recommended amounts: Learn how sleep improves brain function and mental health and how much sleep your child needs each night.
- BC Children’s Hospital- Why getting a good night’s sleep is like a superpower for the whole family: this webpage provides information for families about building a bedtime routine, sticking to a sleep schedule, and creating a calm sleep zone.
- Kids Help Phone- Up all night? Get a better sleep with these tips: information for youth on positive sleep habits and a good sleep environment.
- Mental Health Literacy- Healthy Sleeping: a resource explaining the importance of sleep and providing tips to improve your sleep.
- Meant2Prevent- Sleep Resources for families: website provides information and resources about healthy sleep habits for children and teens.
- Sleep On It!- 8 Ways You Can Improve Your Sleep And Get Better Grades: webpage provides information on how sleep affects your grades and how to create health habits.
- Sleep On It!- 10 simple tips for better sleep: webpage provides information on tips to improve your sleep.
- Anxiety Canada- Getting a Good Night’s Sleep: webpage provides information on tips to improve your sleep. You can chart your progress using by downloading their Sleep Diary.
- Young and New Driver Resource Centre- Fatigued Driving: resource explaining fatigued driving, it’s signs, and how common it is for youth, and how to prevent it.
- Empower student groups, such as student council or student wellness council, to actively participate in identifying school needs and develop activities to address those needs.
- Sleep on it!: Canadian Public Health Campaign on sleep. Discusses sleep, provides support for sleep disorders and makes healthy sleep a public health priority.
- World Sleep Day!: World Sleep Day is March 17, 2023, the World Sleep Society supports to advance sleep health worldwide.
- RNAO’s-Youth Mental Health & Addiction Champion Toolkit - Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) partnered with public health units, School Boards, SMH ASSIST and provincial youth based organizations to develop a peer based youth mental health initiative. The partnership resulted in the development of the toolkit to support the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based, youth-led mental health promotion and substance misuse prevention initiatives in school settings. The toolkit includes guiding frameworks, how to build your team, youth training content, event planning, and evaluation tips.
- WECHU Sleep and Screen Time Resource for Parents: Information on the importance of sleep for health and how to improve sleep and limit the use of screens. Downloadable resources are available in English, French, Arabic.
- WECHU- Sleep Tips for Super Sleeper Superstars: (English and French) a resource that gives parents information on the amount of sleep their child needs and tips on how to create health sleep habits. The resource includes an example of a bedtime routine that children can follow when getting ready for bed. There is also a blank chart that families can use to create their own routine.
- Sleep Foundation – Children and Sleep: this website has resources specifically for children and teens sleep habits.
- Canadian Pediatric Society- Teens and sleep: Why you need it and how to get enough: this website provides information for teens on the importance of sleep and how to create health sleep habits.
- Canadian Pediatric Society Caring for Kids- Healthy sleep for your baby and child: Information around the amount of sleep children need at different ages and tips to help your child sleep.
- SickKids- Sleep: Benefits and recommended amounts: Learn how sleep improves brain function and mental health and how much sleep your child needs each night.
- BC Children’s Hospital- Why getting a good night’s sleep is like a superpower for the whole family: this webpage provides information for families about building a bedtime routine, sticking to a sleep schedule, and creating a calm sleep zone.
- Kids Help Phone- Up all night? Get a better sleep with these tips: information for youth on positive sleep habits and a good sleep environment.
- Mental Health Literacy- Healthy Sleeping: a resource explaining the importance of sleep and providing tips to improve your sleep.
- Meant2Prevent- Sleep Resources for families: website provides information and resources about healthy sleep habits for children and teens.
- Sleep On It!- 8 Ways You Can Improve Your Sleep And Get Better Grades: webpage provides information on how sleep affects your grades and how to create health habits.
- Sleep On It!- 10 simple tips for better sleep: webpage provides information on tips to improve your sleep.
- Anxiety Canada- Getting a Good Night’s Sleep: webpage provides information on tips to improve your sleep. You can chart your progress using by downloading their Sleep Diary.
- Young and New Driver Resource Centre- Fatigued Driving: resource explaining fatigued driving, it’s signs, and how common it is for youth, and how to prevent it.