Learning and the Brain Series

Wellness: Sleep and Exercise

Heather Clayton,

Director of Learning

Ritch Primrose,

Head of PE

St Michaels

University School

heather.clayton@smus.ca

Welcome

Who is here?

Goals for Tonight’s

Session:

Consider the Healthy Mind Platter and how

we spend our time

Increase our understanding of the brain

science behind sleep and exercise

Understand the powerful links between

learning and both exercise and sleep

Provide some practical suggestions for

supporting your students at home

Which one represents how are you

feeling

right now?

A B C D E

What fills your platter?

Your child’s platter?

To sleep or not to sleep….

“If you don’t get enough sleep, you are going to

end up fat, sick and stupid”

“Sleep loss =

Brain drain” ‘For every 2 hours your brain

spends taking in information

during the day, it needs an

hour of sleep to figure out

what it means. If you don’t get

that hour you don’t figure it

out The difference between

smart and wise is 2 more

hours of sleep a night.”

Memories activated

Glial cells growth increases

Waste removal

Additional

Adolescent

challenges…

Children Adolescents ‘Adults’ Older

Adults

Age 2y 5y 7y 9y 11y 13y 14y 15y 16y 18y 18+

Average

Hours of

sleep

13 11 10.5 10 9.5 9.5 9.5 9.25 9 8.5 7-8

Taken from Mind, Brain and Education Science, (2011) p.123

Costs of sleep deficit

Weight gain

Not wiring in the learning

of the day

Increased cortisol – stress

Negatively impacts

emotional state

Too much may lead to

mental health and even to

deathWhat are we trading our sleep for?

Restores Body – and

Mind:

• Memory/Learning

• Creative Processing

• Emotional Regulation

• Figure out how much sleep you need – wake up

naturally

• Don’t pull all nighters or allow your students to

do so

• Turn off all blue light (all screens) 1 – 2 hours

before bed – no devices in the bedroom.

• Be a sleep environmentalist – create the dark,

cool, quiet space you and children need.

Share one idea about sleep with

your elbow partner….

Exercise and Learning

What happens in the brain??

• Balances major neurotransmitters

• Serotonin (mood, impulsivity,

anger, aggression)

• Norepinephrine (attention,

perception, motivation, arousal)

• Dopamine (learning, reward,

attention, movement)

• Brain Derived Neurotrophic

Factor (BDNF): Miracle Grow for

the brain

Tangible Benefits

• Physical activity during the school

day has a positive influence on

memory, concentration and

classroom behaviour

• Improves mood, attention, self-

esteem and social skills

• After physical activity senses are

heightened; focus and mood are

improved

• Students are less fidgety and tense

• Feel more motivated and

invigorated

Is Exercise the Panacea??

Anxiety

Stress

Addiction

ADHD

Depression

Anti-aging

Recommendations

Daily cardiovascular fitness

Exercise imbedded in the school day

Sports or other structured activities requiring skill

acquisition (yoga, rock climbing, martial arts)

Tackle the most challenging academic material

immediately after intense exercise

Look at exercise as part of a plan to deal with

depression, anxiety, addiction, stress and ADHD

Educate students about why it is important!!!

Questions or Comments?