Loreto Mandeville Hall calls in sleep experts to help students
A top Toorak girls’ school has called in an expert from New Zealand to help its students with a modern problem many of us grapple with every day.
Education
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The principal of a Toorak girls’ school has called in a sleep expert after many of the school’s Year 9s and 10s said they weren’t getting enough sleep.
Loreto Mandeville Hall principal Dr Susan Stevens said interrupted sleep was often heightened by students checking their phones in the middle of the night.
To complement a commitment to developing mindfulness as part of the school’s Positive Education pastoral program, it is promoting an “8 to 3 phone free” policy to reduce phone checking.
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Dr Stevens said the use of phones at the school was self-managed by the students.
She hoped the policy - encouraging students not to use their phones between 8am and 3pm - would encourage the girls to think about their reliance on phones.
“We do not want to be perceived as the phone police, we are simply trying to inspire better habits,” she said.
A recent wellbeing survey on the amount and quality of sleep senior students were getting showed that interrupted sleep was not uncommon.
Dr Stevens said the issue needed to be addressed as the quality of a student’s sleep could influence their studies, concentration, relationships, temperament and energy levels throughout the day.
“Early in the year, parents also will be invited to information sessions focusing on these very topics,” she said.
“Good sleep clearly relates to optimal functioning during the day, hence our interest in improving the understanding of its importance.”
Next month New Zealand sleep expert Dr Tony Fernando, a psychiatrist, sleep specialist and educator, will address students, staff and parents in a series of workshops.
“Though a school can’t fix the trend of poor sleep, we are able to work with parents to help them understand how critical sleep is for their children,” she said.
She was not surprised by the results of the survey of 800 students covering grade 5 to Year 12, which showed that mainly the Year 9 and 10 cohorts were not getting enough sleep.
Dr Stevens, who holds a graduate diploma in adolescent health and welfare among her qualifications, said lack of sleep had the potential to exacerbate pastoral issues, including anxiety and feelings of nervousness.
She said checking phone messages in the middle of the night often meant not only interrupted sleep but problems for resuming sleep patterns.
“The identified problem of lack of sleep, particularly when it is linked to phone use in the middle of the night, is a society problem in general,” she said.
How much sleep do teenagers need?
Sleep research says teenagers need between 8 and 10 hours every night.
Most teenagers only get between 6.5 and 7.5 hours every night.
Teen body clocks want to stay up late but early school starts are contrary to this.
Chronic sleep deprivation can affect a teen’s mental wellbeing and academic performance.
Smart phones and devices used around bed time reduce sleep time.
Avoid stimulants such as coffee, tea, soft drinks and energy drinks in the evening.
Source: Better Health
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