{"id":3074,"date":"2025-12-21T02:24:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T02:24:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduflections.blog\/?p=3074"},"modified":"2025-12-24T13:07:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T13:07:22","slug":"why-sleep-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduflections.blog\/?p=3074","title":{"rendered":"Why Sleep Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d6a158359700ed1d49cae89cebd802f4\"><strong>Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely love sleep.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-013b1f827b33e2324ee4fbe28715eb80\">In fact, it was a bit of a family joke when I was growing up that no one actually knew what colour my eyes were for the first six months of my life; I only opened them to feed. Honestly, that&#8217;s still quite accurate! If you are wondering, they are somewhere between blue, green and grey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2776a97b4bf99e7430b54cfb521d256f\">As a teenager, if I wasn&#8217;t at school or playing sport, I was probably napping. Sleep was, and still is, my comfort zone. These days, though, I&#8217;ve had to become a bit more intentional about it. I try to keep my sleep and wake-up times fairly consistent, even on weekends, to avoid throwing off my body clock too much. I read a book a while ago called <strong><em>The Circadian Code<\/em> <\/strong>and it convinced me to stop treating sleep like something I could make up for later. It\u2019s a good and frightening read; full of amazing stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d7a513c4e2bba079155f1545790f1582\">Even in the holidays, I still wake up early, grab a coffee (and then another), and sit in the same corner of the sofa in silence for a bit. It&#8217;s my non-negotiable. I know I&#8217;m supposed to drink water first! Maybe next year?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ffb551245dd9576690dc42fbd7c5ebe3\">You&#8217;ll know what works best for you. I&#8217;ve learned that if I exercise too late in the evening, there&#8217;s no chance I&#8217;ll get to sleep. I&#8217;m still buzzing hours later. Your version of good sleep hygiene might look a little different, and that&#8217;s completely fine. The key is noticing what helps your body wind down and protecting those routines whenever you can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-50a5055ae2ea6948a4b5b03c54692205\">The slide deck and survey that I used with my advisory group last year are here. Feel free to download, edit it, and use it in whatever way works for you. I&#8217;ve added a little advice below. You can take it or leave it.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"ead-preview\"><div class=\"ead-document\" style=\"position: relative\"><iframe src=\"\/\/view.officeapps.live.com\/op\/embed.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Feduflections.blog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F12%2FSleep-Hygiene-1.pptx\" title=\"Embedded Document\" class=\"ead-iframe\" style=\"width: 100%;height: 80%;border: none;min-height: 500px;\"><\/iframe><\/div><p class=\"embed_download\"><a href=\"https:\/\/eduflections.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Sleep-Hygiene-1.pptx\" download>Download Here \ud83d\ude42 [3.28 MB] <\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-black-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-690d33f8b20b1303df0e0c0c99f853a4\" style=\"background-color:#e9ffe4\">We talk a lot about student well-being, but educators need sleep literacy too. The reality is, many of us are running on caffeine and sheer willpower!<br>No amount of planning or PD\/PL compensates for chronic sleep loss!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7fea1afdcd4bdac7dd6cfcbbd960854e\"><strong>Why Sleep Matters for Educators<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list wp-container-content-69bc4bdf\">\n<li class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f00243f252fa0a6a32619865cad0da87\">Sleep supports emotional regulation, patience, and presence in the classroom.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a399f150bccbc838fa856544a586c127\">Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to burnout, weaker decision-making, and reduced immunity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-82dc45694717281909f3ee0932a72e51\">You can&#8217;t model well-being if you&#8217;re constantly exhausted. Students notice more than we think!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f7e54fb78cd132a1028df2e630883279\"><strong>Better Sleep Habits for Teachers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8b879c6e50bea557d68dfc7d4c1002ec\">Set boundaries around screens. Avoid marking, emailing, or scrolling in the hour before bed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-bcdde79a6f4ad9585b1e309d05ab3ba7\">Be mindful of alcohol. It may help you fall asleep, but it disrupts the quality of your rest. If you&#8217;re anything like me, it always ensures I&#8217;m staring at the clock at 3am!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1b500dba44361e2893256afaf706d67a\">Shift your mindset. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Sleep is not laziness<\/span>. It&#8217;s a professional tool for performance, clarity, and care.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c8b2e187b7fcc9802477622a92a80c3e\"><strong>Modelling Sleep Culture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-358958d03ff3bfc05d7cf029ceabd4b3\">Avoid glorifying overwork. Phrases like \u201cI marked until midnight\u201d shouldn&#8217;t be seen as heroic!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7693f9a13bb85683b5b0680b77c58751\">Use Flexi, advisory, or PSHE time to talk about healthy routines. Students respond to honesty and relatability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d9863118f1f4ec3c77c0f3409d33ae09\">Model your own habits. They&#8217;re more likely to follow what you live than what you say.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7084017f51d805359cac355e56ff8646\"><strong>Helpful Wind-Down Strategies<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ff9cf1e352ec5d56ec895d1cfce42b7f\">Try progressive muscle relaxation, light journaling, or a \u201cshutdown\u201d ritual such as writing tomorrow\u2019s top three tasks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b3daddd049836754043a5487b7d0d1d3\">Create a screen-free buffer in the evening. Even 30 minutes can support melatonin production.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b33b1667530896f15eb71dbfb5d83f37\">Explore apps designed for better sleep. <em>Insight Timer<\/em>, <em>Calm<\/em>, and <em>Headspace for Educators<\/em> are great starting points.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"ead-preview\"><div class=\"ead-document\" style=\"position: relative\"><iframe src=\"\/\/view.officeapps.live.com\/op\/embed.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Feduflections.blog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F12%2FSleep-Hygiene-Survey-1.docx\" title=\"Embedded Document\" class=\"ead-iframe\" style=\"width: 80%;height: 80%;border: none;min-height: 500px;\"><\/iframe><\/div><p class=\"embed_download\"><a href=\"https:\/\/eduflections.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Sleep-Hygiene-Survey-1.docx\" download>Download Here \ud83d\ude42 [1.17 MB] <\/a><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely love sleep. In fact, it was a bit of a family joke when I was growing up [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3078,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[89,108,86,5,71,6],"tags":[15,87,107,92,85,42,70,94],"class_list":["post-3074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pocket-pd","category-pocket-pl","category-professional-learning","category-sel","category-teaching","category-well-being","tag-educational-leadership","tag-pocketpd","tag-pocketpl","tag-professional-development","tag-professional-learning","tag-school-culture","tag-teaching","tag-trainee-teachers"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/eduflections.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cat-4189697_1280.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduflections.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduflections.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduflections.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduflections.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduflections.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3074"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/eduflections.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3074\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3105,"href":"https:\/\/eduflections.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3074\/revisions\/3105"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduflections.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduflections.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduflections.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduflections.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}