This week’s Growth Mindset Discussion is about the importance of sleep to our brain and body.
Did you know that, on average, we forget 40% of what we learn within the first 20 minutes of learning it? Yikes! But it doesn’t have to be this way! A good night’s sleep can change that.
Though many of us think of sleep as wasted time that we cannot use to do all the things we need to get done, sleep is actually an important process that supports the restructuring of our brain, and also helps with our body’s circulation, growth, and immune response. One of the most critical brain functions that sleep supports is our memory. Sleep is required to move short-term memories (both declarative and procedural memories) into long-term memories. Sure, you can cram all night to try to remember something, but without the sleep you need, that information may never make it from your short-term memory to long-term memory. If you stay up late working or playing, the fact is, your brain will struggle to function at full capacity the following day. Ongoing sleep deprivation can lead to illness, obesity, mood-swings, depression, and impaired memory and brian function. Sleep is a big deal!
How much sleep does our brain need to properly function and restructure itself each night?
Children ages 6 to 12 should sleep 9 to 12 hours per night.
Children 13 to 18 years old should sleep 8 to 10 hours per night.
Adults should sleep 7 to 9 hours per night.
Here is a link to a short (5 min) video about how sleep impacts our brain and body: The Benefits of a Good Night’s Sleep
Wishing you lots of fun, relaxation, and sleep this weekend! : )
