Sleep and learning

By the time JillyBoo was 19 months old, I hadn't slept a full night for over two years. JillyBoo was a terrible sleeper, and despite my insistence that she fall asleep without being rocked or fed until she was snoozing, she rarely fell asleep of her own volition. Many nights, she would amp herself up into a sort of crazed mania, and would get a fun and hilarious hour of activity before total meltdown.

After many weeks of this behavior, I realized that her seemingly humorous displays were actually the effect of a lack of sleep.


After relocating from northern climes to the American Southwest, the effect on her sleep was notable. She slept through the night on her first night in Arizona, prompting me to jump out of bed to check that she was still breathing. It is now the norm for JillyBoo to sleep through the night, unless she's experiencing a developmental jump.


A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon the book, NurtureShock, at the bookstore. I enjoyed the writing style and the topics selected by the authors, Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. I laughed at the chapter on the conventional wisdom of providing the only child with siblings, and only scanned over a chapter on the importance of sleep to the growing and learning child.


As I awaited the arrival of my copy of NurtureShock from an online bookseller, I started to research articles on the topic of sleep and learning. On a daily basis, children enter my classroom with the weary, exhausted eyes of grown adults after working a night shift. Besides nutrition, sleep may be one of the most important factors affecting a student's learning. In the article, "Can a Lack of Sleep Set Back Your Child's Cognitive Abilities," Dr. Ari Sadeh and his team found that just one hour less of regular sleep can cause a child's developmental abilities to slide from a sixth grade to a fourth grade level.


Obviously, the correct amount of sleep for any child depends on the child, their age and developmental level. However, an early, regular bedtime with a routine can help children to stay on track, whether learning at home or in the classroom.