Teaching Chronobiology and Sleep Habits in School and University

Abstract

ABSTRACT— Early morning school schedules are in the opposite direction to the sleep–wake cycle in adolescence and early adulthood. This conflict leads to sleep deprivation and irregular patterns whose consequences are scarcely explored. This article discusses the effects of three educational experiences with high school students, parents, teachers, and medical students. The first experience was developed with high school students in Natal, Brazil, to determine whether sleep habits would improve with increased awareness. Positive effects were observed in some aspects of sleep knowledge and practices. In the second experience in Atlanta, GA, sleep education activities were presented to middle and high school teachers, parents, and students to emphasize the importance of sleep. In the third program in Murcia, Spain, undergraduate medical students were introduced to chronobiology of sleep by a practical exercise that pointed out to what extent they shared most of adolescent sleep characteristics. Educational chronobiological experiences about sleep are essential to develop healthy sleep habits in the general population, particularly in students.

Ontogeny and aging of the distal skin temperature rhythm in humans

“…However, these gender differences disappear in older people. Sleep habits and chronotype scores have also been documented to differ between young men and women, with healthier sleep patterns and higher morningness scores in women than in men (Azevedo et al 2008;Roenneber et al 2007). Differences in hormonal status could be responsible for such differences, although other factors related to the lifestyle of young people may also be responsible (Roenneber et al 2007).…”

Lessons Learned from Sleep Education in Schools: A Review of Dos and Don'ts

“…Although all studies reported delivering at least basic knowledge about sleep physiology and/or sleep hygiene, the scope and aims of the programs fell into one of two groups; those who sought solely to disseminate information and improve sleep knowledge, 21,[23][24][25] and those who sought to actively change sleep behavior. [17][18][19][20]22,[26][27][28] Seven themes that were identified from the studies are listed below in no particular order:…”

“…Most studies utilized written documentation in classrooms in combination with didactic teaching modules. [17][18][19][20][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]30 Although all studies showed improvements in sleep knowledge through these methods, many studies reported that students preferred more interactive activities rather than traditional didactic methods. 17,23,26 Indeed, Bakotić et al 21 suggest utilizing graphic designs and interactive sleep activities is more likely to promote interest in the content.…”

“…There are currently only 12 [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] worldwide published studies of sleep education programs focussed on adolescents (with one in press 30 ) that describe their education programs in suffi cient detail for scrutiny. Many factors may contribute to a successful sleep education program, so it is important to understand what these may be in order to optimize efficacy in future sleep education programs.…”

“…Although some sleep education studies have specifi cally targeted problematic sleepers, [16][17][18][19] most have delivered broad based general sleep education programs using a preventative model. [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] School based health education programs such as those targeting physical activity and/or diet are common and effi cacious. 29 However, sleep education is in its infancy.…”