NEWS FLASH: Human Brains Require Sleep!
The other day I attended a riveting talk by the brilliant Dr. Jayme Neiman-Kimel, pediatric neuropsychologist, on Sleep, Screen Time and Academic Performance. I expected to hear about the evil screen and how it scrambles our children’s brains. But the focus of the talk was, surprisingly, on sleep.
In overly simplistic summary – sleep affects learning. Of course we all know that, but this is not something we generally think about. Sleep affects learning, because sleep is an active period as far as our brains are concerned.
The brain regenerates during sleep; we also learn while sleeping, when the brain is consolidating learning and memory. The impact of sleep on learning is that when children don’t get enough sleep, it affects their ability to pay attention, their working memory, their overall learning and their ability to process information. In short, insufficient sleep looks like ADHD! Okay, this isn’t just about children – when adults don’t get enough sleep, it looks much the same.
There are five stages of sleep, and we cycle through these stages several times throughout the night. In order for children to be able to do that without interruption, it’s important to figure out what works for your child. Children shouldn’t go to bed hungry – it will wake them up and interrupt their sleep cycle. Children shouldn’t drink excessively before bed – they’ll be up and running to the bathroom all night.
So how much sleep is necessary for the human brain? Here it is:
Newborns – 12-18 hours
Toddlers (ages 1-3) – 12-14 hours
Preschoolers (ages 3-5) – 11-13 hours
School age (ages 5-10) – 10-11 hours
Teens – 8 ½ – 9 ¼ hours
Adults – 7-8 hours
For those of you with teenagers in the house, puberty affects, among other things, the onset of sleep. Teens often fall asleep later because they’re simply not tired as early as they used to be. That might make it harder to wake up for those pesky schools that start at the ungodly hour of 8am.
Yes, your teenager is really dying to jump out of bed and get to school – they just haven’t gotten the 9 hours they really need. When real life catches up to the reality of human physiology it will be a great day. In the meantime, know that you’re not alone in having trouble getting your teen to go to sleep earlier so they can wake up for school on time.
Oh, and about that screen time – research has shown, time and time again, that screen time doesn’t help you focus, gaming doesn’t help with attention span, and first person shooter games don’t generalize skills learned to other areas, but is instead related to less pro-social behavior and empathy. But you already know that.
Announcements:
1. ReDiscover Kids Swap-o-rama coming up!Participants bring a bag of unwanted clothing and a small donation ($5+). Everyone is welcome to take something you like from the swap pile and repurpose, reimagine, redecorate the swap items. Volunteer sewers and crafters are available at D.I.Y. stations to help you fix or refashion your findings. You leave with all the clothes you can carry – and your child has a chance to express their inner fashion designer!
January 29, 1 to 4pm
reDiscover Center
12958 Washington Blvd
LA, CA 90066
310-393-3636
http://rediscovercenter.org/programs/swap-o-rama-rama.html
2. What: Pacific Point Academy Open House
When: Friday January 27th from 11:30am to 1:00pm
Where: 2701 Ocean Park Blvd, Suite 150, Santa Monica
Pacific Point Academy & Learning Center offers specialized services that include the following:
After School Tutoring, Educational Therapy, Math & Reading Remediation, Social Skills Groups. For more information or to rsvp for the Open House, contact Debbie Shaler-Williams at dswilliams@pacificpointacademy.com
Until next time,
Sandy Eiges
Sandy Eiges, M.S.W.
L.A. School Scout
877.877.6240
310.926.0050
sandy@LAschoolscout.com
www.LAschoolscout.com
“The panic that had gripped me subsided the instant that Sandy was on my team…getting my boy into a wonderful preschool…Sandy is now working with me on K and elementary for my son. THERE IS NO REASON TO DO IT WITHOUT HER!!” – Jill D., April 2009
“… I cannot say enough good things about Sandy Eiges and her company LA School Scout…What Sandy offered was not only information about all of the schools, but she also spent a considerable amount of time learning about my daughter and my family so she could suggest schools that she thought would be a good match for us …Things are constantly changing and Sandy’s job keeps her at the forefront of what’s going on.” – Renee A., March 2008
“Just wanted to say thank you for the incredibly helpful call! You gave me such valuable insight. I already feel like a big weight has been lifted…” – Melanie L., March 2010
“I could not have imagined going through this process without Sandy’s help. She is truly committed to what she does, and really takes the time to get to know you and your family. She knows each schools personality, and can really help you figure out which is your school, and how to maximize your admission chances. Even though I thought I had an idea of what I wanted, Sandy was able to give me another perspective. She takes the stress out of this very complicated process. I felt very well prepared the whole way through. We are thrilled that we will be attending Crossroads in the fall!” – Belinda C., July 2010
“Because of your knowledge of Los Angeles schools (both private and public) and a sensitivity to my family, your recommendations of where to apply were spot-on. I felt very confident during the interview because you helped me understand that a good fit matters to everyone. When we got to the actual interview at our favorite school I was not worried because I knew I was prepared and could just be myself…your advice helped us gain acceptance into our first choice private school in a rushed, mid-year situation.” – Cynthia S., January 2011
“We really got through all of this so much better with your care and guidance. At least half of each acceptance letter will be owed to you.” – Mia G., March 2011
“Sandy’s advice during our search for a private school for our daughter was indispensable. While we had already toured several schools before we found her, she made some additional recommendations that were right on target as far as what we were seeking in a school. She continued to give us guidance and support throughout the application and interview process that we feel was critical to our success. Without Sandy, we would not have gotten accepted into all four schools to which we applied. Her assistance is a must to make it through this arduous journey and come out on top!” – Kelly Z., April 2011
“Just wanted to thank you so much for a wonderful consultation. I already feel like I am more empowered with information on where to start looking and all of the options. Really appreciate the thorough write up as well…” – Susan M., May 2011
“I just want to again say thank you for all of your help. It was so overwhelming diving into the school-searching process, especially when also dealing with the transition of a big move. Once you came along everything seemed much less overwhelming and you introduced us to a school that we believe will be a perfect fit…” – Sonia K., May 2011
“You are awesome. Thank you so much…Sheesh!! This process is crazy!” – Michel W., 2009

