Lesson # T9: Sleep and the Brain
Overview
Time: 50 minutes
FOR GROUPS
This lesson teaches young people how sleep and sleep deprivation impacts their lives. An indicator of thriving is having healthy habits
and sleep plays a vital role in the health and well being of individuals. Youth will reflect on their sleep habits and develop goal
management strategies for getting sufficient sleep.
Sleep is necessary for survival. We need sleep for our nervous system, body and brain to function properly. Too little sleep leaves us
drowsy and unable to concentrate the next day. It also leads to impaired memory and physical performance and reduced ability to
carry out math calculations. Conversely, getting adequate sleep— nine hours/night for teens— helps maintain optimal cognitive,
emotional & social functioning.
Research shows that sleep deprivation impacts many areas of people’s lives. For instance, sleep-deprived individuals do not have the
speed or creative abilities to make quick and logical decisions, nor the ability to implement them or deliver a statement well. Studies
have demonstrated that a lack of sleep impairs one’s ability to simultaneously focus on several different tasks, reducing the speed &
efficiency of one's actions. A sleep-deprived individual shows signs of slurred, slowed or monotone speech, and has trouble thinking
of imaginative words or ideas. Furthermore, when a person is taught a new skill, performance doesn’t improve until he or she gets
ample sleep.
Unfortunately, the average U.S. teenager only gets 6.5 hours of sleep on school nights, which hinders learning, impairs memory,
hinders creativity, and exacerbates the challenges of controlling emotions and dealing with stress.
Objectives
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Youth assess their sleep habits.
Youth learn how sleep is important for memory, emotions, relationships, creativity, health and performance.
Youth learn sleep tips, identify challenges, and develop action triggers to improve sleep habits.
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Anchor Vocabulary
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Conscious – (noun) having one’s mind & senses working; knowing or understanding; intentional
Deprive – (verb) to take away from; prevent from using
Associate – (verb) to join together as friends or business partners; to make a connection in the mind
Depression – (noun) a feeling of sadness or helplessness
External – (adj.) on the outside
Materials
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DVD clip: The Science of Sleep, CBS 60 Minutes
Overheads of Sleep Article Vocabulary (optional)
Sleep Survey
Article: Sleep now, Remember Later
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Lesson Outline
ENROLL
(5 min)
LEARN &
LABEL
(25 min)
Door Greeting
Build relationships with young people as they walk in the door, by using Four at the
Door! (Name, eyes, hand, heart)
Say:
 Our topic today is Sleep and the Brain.
 On our Thriving Indicator Wheels, this topic fits under Healthy Habits.
Warm-up
Question
Facilitator gives youth roughly two minutes to answer the warm-up and then instructs youth
to share answers with elbow partners.
Today’s Question: Why do all living things sleep? What’s the impact of not getting enough
sleep?
Sleep Survey
(5 min)
Facilitator passes out the Sleep Survey and youth complete it.
Sleep “Weboff-the Word”
(5 min)
Poster Activity:
Review of
Article
(15 min)
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Lesson Description
Web-off-the-Word: Facilitator will lead a “web-off-the-word” on a board or two flipchart
pages, by writing “Tired” in the middle, and another “web-off-the-word” with “Well-rested”
written in the middle.
Say:
 Thinking about “Tired”….give me words that describe what happens & how you feel.
 Thinking about “Well-rested”…give me words that describe what happens and how to
feel.
 Now let’s see if our feelings match up with what scientific research says about how
feeling tired versus well-rested impacts our thinking and behaviors.
Poster Activity: Sleep Now, Remember Later Article
Facilitator passes out the article and asks youth to form groups of three. Each group receives
a poster size paper and marking pens. Each group is assigned a specific paragraph to read.
Groups make posters for poster presentations that are shared out in order of the article.
Say:
 Let’s discuss an article called Sleep Now, Remember Later and watch a video clip to
learn about sleep. It’s fascinating!”
 Get in groups of three. Each group is to read the paragraph I assign.
 Then, represent the points of your paragraph in a poster with some dramatic visuals and
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DEMONSTRATE
(20 min)
CBS 60
Minutes Clip
(8 min)
Discussion
(12 min)
REFLECTION
Closure
key words.
Then, we’ll share the points with each other, in order.
Show CBS 60 minutes clip: The Science of Sleep, Part 1 (2008), minutes 0-4:23 & 10:3013 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/14/60minutes/main3939721.shtml
Ask:
 What happened in the clip?
(Group may answer: Saw how lack of sleep gets in the way of brain functioning, learning
and goals. Affects stress and depression.)
 So what? Talk for a moment with elbow partners.
1) How does your sleep match up on your Sleep Survey?
2) What are your obstacles to getting enough sleep?
3) Any ideas for change?
 Now what? Any ideas on how to get more sleep?
Write down 1-2 strategies you will try in the next week to get enough sleep. Share out.
Options:
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The Sleep Now Remember Later article can be given as a home activity before the lesson. Then the poster activity can be a review
of the content.
Developed by L.I.P with support from Thrive Foundation for Youth. Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommerial-Share Alike 3.0. U.S. License. 2010. This
document can be shared and adapted by users for educational, non-commercial purposes.
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