Easy changes you can make to get a better night’s sleep

If you have trouble sleeping each night, you are not alone. New research shows that Australians of all ages have a hard time either falling asleep or staying asleep and many wake up way too early.

A report called the Great Aussie Wake-Up by hotel chain Holiday Inn Express, found that 91 per cent of Australians struggle to fall or stay asleep in a typical week, and 93 per cent regularly wake up too early.

Not getting enough quality sleep can cause all sorts of health issues – especially for growing kids.

Sleep Health Foundation spokeswoman Professor Harriet Hiscock from the Royal Children’s Hospital said lack of sleep could affect kids’ emotional and physical health.

“We know there is an increased susceptibility* to infection,” she said. “It particularly impacts their focus and concentration and learning in the classroom setting.”

“It can make it harder for them to regulate* their emotions, they’re more likely to get upset and have emotional meltdowns, or be aggressive or hyperactive.”

Luckily, there are lots of simple things we can do to sleep better, said sleep expert Olivia Arezzolo.

But just how much sleep do we need?

HOW MUCH SHOULD KIDS SLEEP?
You may think you only need eight hours of sleep each night, but that really depends on how old you are.

The US Sleep Foundation recommends primary school aged kids sleep nine to 11 hours each night, while teenagers should aim for eight to 10 hours of sleep.

But it’s not just how long you sleep that matters, said Prof Hiscock. Waking up over and over again each night can have a bigger impact on health than getting a shorter amount of sleep – as can staying up late.

“Early to bed, early to rise is associated* with better health and behavioural outcomes for kids, then late to bed, late to rise,” Prof Hiscock said.

So how can you get a better night’s sleep?

Here are some simple ways to sleep longer and more soundly each night, so that you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to start each day.

GET SOME MORNING LIGHT
Did you know getting out in the sunlight shortly after waking helps you sleep better at night?

Ms Arezzolo said getting 20 minutes of light within half an hour of waking signals the start of the day to the body’s internal clock, the circadian rhythm*.

According to the Sleep Foundation, when light enters the eye, a special group of cells on the retina* communicate with the brain, which interprets information about what time of the day it is. The brain then sends signals to the different organs based on its understanding of time. This mechanism is known as the brain’s circadian pacemaker.

“When exposed to only natural light, a person’s circadian rhythm becomes closely synchronised* with sunrise and sunset, staying awake during the day and sleeping when it’s dark,” the organisation’s website states. “In modern society, though, electricity creates an abundance of light sources that affect the brain’s circadian pacemaker.”

When it gets dark, the brain releases a hormone called melatonin*, which makes us feel sleepy. Numerous studies show getting sunlight in the morning helps to regulate our melatonin levels and improve our sleep each night.

AVOID BAD BLUE LIGHT BEFORE BED
Artificial blue light, produced by phones, tablets, computers and even TVs stops melatonin from being released, which can prevent you from falling asleep if you are exposed to it in the evening, Ms Arezzolo said.

“As soon as you have that blue light enter your eyes, you have the biological* signals to remain alert and awake,” she said.

Prof Hiscock said you shouldn’t even bring screens into the bedroom.

“Keeping screens out of the bedroom is really important because of the blue light, which blocks the brain making the sleep hormone, melatonin,” she said.

EAT FOR SLEEP
It’s not just light that affects our circadian rhythm. Ms Arezzolo said in order to get a good night’s sleep it is very important to eat breakfast every day. It is also important to eat within the first hour of waking up.

“Breakfast is absolutely critical for circadian rhythm alignment*,” she said.

Ms Arezzolo said it is important to avoid late night snacking. She said to try and keep three hours in between your last meal of the day and bedtime.

Caffeinated drinks like tea, coffee, cola and energy drinks should be avoided for at least eight hours before bedtime. In fact, if you really want to sleep well, don’t drink them at all since caffeine is a stimulant* and is known to keep people awake at night.

DON’T HIT SNOOZE
The report showed that 70 per cent of Gen Z respondents hit the snooze button regularly – and one in ten tapped snooze at least 120 times a month.

“When you’re hitting the snooze button regularly, every time the alarm goes off, you get a spike in your stress hormone cortisol*,” Ms Arezzolo said.

She said higher cortisol levels could lead to anxiety and problems sleeping.

So, instead of hitting snooze, it would be better to either get up, or set your alarm for a later time.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• susceptibility: more likely to get it
• regulate: manage
• associated: linked
• circadian rhythm: the pattern your body follows based on a 24 hour day which tells your body when to sleep and when to wake up, also known as your body clock
• retina: the layer in your eye that detects light and turns it into signals that your brain interprets
• synchronised: follows the same pattern
• melatonin: a hormone produced by the pineal gland. It is a chemical messenger that tells your body it’s time to get ready for sleep. The brain releases extra melatonin around the same time each day when the sun goes down, causing the hypothalamus in the brain to change your body temperature, blood pressure and mood to prepare you for sleep
• biological: body
• alignment: being in a good rhythm
• stimulant: a substance that raises nervous or physical activity in the body
• cortisol: a stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands that plays an important part in the functioning of the body. Too much or too little cortisol can be bad for you because it can affect your blood pressure

EXTRA READING
All kids need the right amount of sleep to grow
How does your brain clean itself?
Why do we need sleep?

QUICK QUIZ
1. How much sleep do primary school aged kids need?
2. How much sleep should teenagers aim to get?
3. How does getting morning sunlight help us sleep better?
4. Why should we keep screens out of the bedroom?
5. What is melatonin?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Get rhythm!
Create a storyboard for an animation or draw a cartoon that will help younger kids understand how our circadian rhythm works and why it is important for our health and wellbeing. Your purpose is to give information in a really entertaining and fun way so that kids will remember this.

Time: allow at least 45 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Visual Communication Design

2. Extension
Do you know what happens in our bodies during sleep? Use information in the story, your own ideas and your research skills to find out. Use the information that you have found to write a list of the five most important things that happen while we sleep. Your list should be in order of importance. For each item on your list, write sentences explaining why you chose this and why it is in its place on your list.

Time: allow at least 45 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science

VCOP ACTIVITY
BAB it!
Show you have read and understood the article by writing three sentences using the connectives “because’’, “and”, and “but” (BAB). Your sentences can share different facts or opinions, or the same ones but written about in different ways.