Something to sleep on

Anastasia De Waal, 27 November 2009

I was astonished when one of my pupils, aged nine, regaled the class with details of the previous night: whereas I had been out-for-the-count for a good hour or so, she had been competing against Olympic superstars in an array of winter sports available on the latest Nintendo DSi system, and it seems she wasn’t alone.  Early bedtime stories and warm milk have been replaced by late night alpine skiing and figure skating.

The detrimental effects of sleep deprivation are well known (and quite possibly experienced first-hand) amongst many parents involved in a recent children’s sleep survey conducted by The Sleep Council.  96 per cent of parents agreed that a lack of sleep and the resultant lethargy damages health and wellbeing.  Despite acknowledging this connection, alarmingly 67 per cent of parents are anxious about the quality of sleep their children get, not to mention the amount of it.  The Sleep Council have responded with a rather ironically titled ‘Wake-Up Call For Schools’ petition, due to close at the end of April 2010.  Prompted by parents, health experts are appealing to schools for the addition of a formalised “third ingredient” to the statutory education on eating healthily and exercising regularly.  73 per cent of parents believe sleep education should be taught in schools, of which 60 per cent think sleep education should appear in the national curriculum.

Whose responsibility is it to ensure children sleep soundly?

Unfortunately, unlike healthy eating and exercise, a good night’s sleep cannot be actively encouraged in the playground.  Teachers can only address the effects of sleepless nights.  Expecting young children to reciprocate the vested interest schools have in their pupils remaining bright-eyed and bushy-tailed throughout the day is unrealistic, especially as The Sleep Council proposes to place emphasis on the long-term health and economic implications of sleepless nights – the comprehension of which is naturally beyond a young child.

Perhaps, then, The Sleep Council should reconsider their target audience and campaign for a scheme that educates parents about sleep?  Basing their bid on information provided by parents but neglecting to include them in proposals surely constitutes bad bedside manners and reveals a deep misunderstanding of children who push boundaries and take risks.

By Annaliese Briggs