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Performance Focus – Study Skills Research Nuggets
This section will help you to create the optimum conditions for performance
at school and in exams. The good news is that you have full control of the
critical components involved in creating those conditions: Sleep, Exercise
and Nutrition. Here we explain these in more detail to illustrate why they are
so critical to peak performance.
Sleep
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The recommendation of nine hours sleep per night for teenagers is exactly
that: a recommendation. Our sleeping patterns and needs are all different.
Some of us might need more than nine hours, others slightly less. The test of
whether or not you are getting enough sleep is how you feel during the day.
If you feel well slept and rested, you will be alert and able to concentrate in
school and while studying. You therefore have to be honest with yourself
about this. So, what are the scientific reasons why sleep is important?
1
Your brain weighs about 2 per cent of overall body
weight but uses 20 per cent of the body’s energy,
therefore it needs time to rest and recharge.
2
Our brain carries on working while we are asleep –
it revisits material we were trying to learn during the
day and consolidates it in long-term memory.
3
Research has demonstrated that there are strong
links between sleep habits, cognitive functioning
and academic success.
4
Just like our bodies, our brain produces waste.
When we sleep those toxins are washed away.
5
Sleep regulates our hormones. Research shows that
the day after a poor night’s sleep, people make poorer
choices in relation to foods. They tend to crave more
sugar and carbohydrates leading to peaks and troughs
in energy levels.
6
Quality sleep benefits mood, focus, learning and memory.
Lack of sleep can make us snappy and short tempered.
7
We mistakenly think we can compensate for midweek sleep
deprivation by ‘catching up’ at the weekend – a concept known
as ‘social jetlag’ – when in fact this is associated with poorer
academic performance.
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Performance Focus –
Study Skills Research Nuggets
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PERFORMANCE FOCUS
Performance Focus
How can we improve our sleep hygiene?
Firstly, be honest with yourself. If you are constantly feeling tired in school,
then you may not be getting enough sleep. Once you’ve acknowledged that,
here’s what to do to improve sleep habits:
Work with your body clock or circadian rhythm.
Sleep is regulated in your body by a chemical
called melatonin. It switches on at night and
switches off in the morning. It switches off a
little later for teenagers than for adults. This
explains why you might be feeling more tired in
the morning. Because you need more sleep than
adults, getting to bed earlier will help regulate
this chemical – especially on school nights.
Don’t deprive yourself of sleep during the week expecting you can ‘catch up’ at
the weekend. That will confuse your body clock even more.
Instead try to ease your body into sleep. You could do this by blocking daylight
into your bedroom earlier. Blackout blinds and heavy curtains are a good idea!
Switch off the screens one hour before
bed. That includes phones, tablets and
computers! All these gadgets produce
light that mimics daytime. Any screen
that is backlit falls into this category
so when reading a book at night make
sure you use ‘unlit’ or use a booklight.
Create a bedtime routine to help your brain
get ready for sleep. This is called sleep
hygiene. In the hour before bed, you should
avoid caffeine, exercise, a big meal, loud
music, daylight and obviously screens.
Instead try meditating, relaxing soft music,
reading for pleasure, having a bath and
putting a drop of lavender oil on your pillow.
Avoid long naps during the day of more than 60 minutes. Napping can help
restore mental and physical stamina but keep it brief. If you nap for too long
you enter a deep sleep and can wake up feeling groggy. Plus, you are more
likely to wake up through the night.
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Performance Focus
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PERFORMANCE FOCUS –
STUDY SKILLS RESEARCH NUGGETS
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