Good sleep is vital for physical recovery and good brain function and yet with the mounting stresses of modern life - many do not get adequate sleep and as a consequence meet the challenges of busy lives stressed and fatigued.
In this course we explore some of the background behind the importance of sleep, how we can keep track of our sleep to get feedback on the success of different approaches to sleep better and how to prepare our environment and routines fro better sleep.
In this course we explore some of the background behind the importance of sleep, how we can keep track of our sleep to get feedback on the success of different approaches to sleep better and how to prepare our environment and routines fro better sleep.
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The course is heavily dependent upon online involvement in forums - where you share reflections upon the content explored within a collaborative learning environment.
The main topics covered are:
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The Importance of Sleep
Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety.
During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain your physical health. Good sleep is essential for cognitive and physical performance, learning and memory, protects the immune system, enhances mood and has restorative powers.
One of the vital roles of sleep is to help us solidify and consolidate memories. As we go about our day, our brains take in an incredible amount of information. Rather than being directly logged and recorded, however, these facts and experiences first need to be processed and stored; and many of these steps happen while we sleep. Overnight, bits and pieces of information are transferred from more tentative, short-term memory to stronger, long-term memory—a process called "consolidation."
Healthy sleep is critical for everyone, since we all need to retain information and learn skills to thrive in life. But this is likely part of the reason children—who acquire language, social, and motor skills at a breathtaking pace throughout their development—need more sleep than adults. While adults need 7-9 hours of sleep per night, one-year-olds need roughly 11 to 14 hours, school age children between 9 and 11, and teenagers between 8 and 10. During these critical periods of growth and learning, younger people need a heavy dose of slumber for optimal development and alertness.
During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain your physical health. Good sleep is essential for cognitive and physical performance, learning and memory, protects the immune system, enhances mood and has restorative powers.
One of the vital roles of sleep is to help us solidify and consolidate memories. As we go about our day, our brains take in an incredible amount of information. Rather than being directly logged and recorded, however, these facts and experiences first need to be processed and stored; and many of these steps happen while we sleep. Overnight, bits and pieces of information are transferred from more tentative, short-term memory to stronger, long-term memory—a process called "consolidation."
Healthy sleep is critical for everyone, since we all need to retain information and learn skills to thrive in life. But this is likely part of the reason children—who acquire language, social, and motor skills at a breathtaking pace throughout their development—need more sleep than adults. While adults need 7-9 hours of sleep per night, one-year-olds need roughly 11 to 14 hours, school age children between 9 and 11, and teenagers between 8 and 10. During these critical periods of growth and learning, younger people need a heavy dose of slumber for optimal development and alertness.