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It’s exam season again! Students of all ages are beginning to wrap up the school year and undertake their GCSEs, A-Levels, BTECS and yearly examinations. Our priority as adults is to provide the best support for our own children as they participate in these stressful school exams. In this article, we are going to discuss the worst kept secret in improving school performance: sleep! Read on to learn how you can boost your child’s sleep hygiene this exam season.
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We all know how bad it feels to have several bad nights of sleep in a row. Our mood, our mental capabilities and our physical health feel it all. During exam season, our children may experience stress & sleepless nights. Let’s do something about it! For a growing child, getting plenty of quality sleep is essential. Children between 6 & 13 years old require over 9 hours of sleep, up to 11 hours to fully support development. For teens, this range lowers to between 8 and 10 hours. Meanwhile for adults like you and I, it is only 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
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So what effect does a lack of quality sleep have on a child? Well, much like us adults, it has a profound effect on mood and focus. When it comes to exams and revision, the effects are even more significant. Slowed processing of new information and a worsened ability to process sequences are a direct result of sleep deprivation in children. Learning and recall are affected greatly, namely in maths equations and scientific experiments. Learning musical instruments becomes more frustrating as this type of repetitive mental activity is challenged by a lack of sleep.
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In contrast, proper sleep hygiene and regular, quality sleep will help your child feel more energetic, alert, focused and upbeat. Many researchers have found that sleep can help improve memory and consolidation of new information. This is key to effective information recall during exams.
Getting quality sleep helps the body deal with stress more effectively whilst priming young minds for absorbing, abstracting & recalling new information. It also saves a few hours of drowsiness in the classroom as well!
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What can we do to improve our children’s sleep hygiene? It’s quite simple! The first step is to set a regular bedtime routine and stick to it as best as possible. It may feel like wishful thinking, but it can be done! If you build in time away from devices, for instance, or keep a regular bath time and include time for relaxing activities such as reading with or without a parent, it can all help with the wind down.
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Just as important as the evening routine is setting the scene for a good night’s sleep. Keeping the child’s room dark and cool with as little outside noise as possible is key to ensuring their environment is primed for sleep.
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Understanding the importance of a good night's sleep is the first step towards making adjustments to support your child’s education journey. Controlling the light & climate in their bedroom promotes a comfortable, dark & quiet environment all through the night. This is especially important coming into the brighter spring and summer months. The sun is rising earlier and setting later. Incoming solar radiation heats sun-facing rooms during the day making it harder to cool at night. Too much light, noise and heat will make falling asleep and staying asleep hard. That’s why we recommend installing a BlocOut Blackout Blind to help them rest, reset and go.
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Our pinhole tested thermal blackout fabrics are included as standard and available in children’s and teen fabric choices. During warm months, the thermal backing reflects solar radiation back into the world, keeping their bedroom cool and comfortable during the day and night. External noise, draughts and leaking light are all blocked thanks to the light & noise blocking siderails and rubber bottom seal. This is why it’s our recommended sleep aid during this exam season.
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We wish everyone the best of luck this exam season. Shop our line of blackout blinds by clicking the links below and create an environment primed for quality sleep and growing minds.
Shop the BlocOut and BlocOut XL here: BlocOut and BlocOut XL