School campaign promotes the benefits of sleep

The importance of a good night’s sleep is to be ­impressed upon school ­students.

The Bermuda Parents Teachers Students Association has launched a ­campaign to raise awareness that sleep is not only a basic human need, it ­bolsters our health and ­enables us to concentrate and perform better.

Formed in April 2009, the BPTSA has gained ­membership from PTAs in 24 schools across the island. The organization plans to attend each school’s PTA meeting to give a brief presentation on sleeping. It will engage in frank and open discussions on the challenges of getting ­children to sleep on time and to encourage interaction among the parents. 

Ruth Moran, BPTSA ­executive, said: “The brain sorts and stores information when we are sleeping — this is very important in the learning process. In ­addition, our minds are more creative and problem solving is easier when we are rested.

“On the health side, our body repairs itself when we get adequate sleep and it burns calories. Everyone knows how much better they feel after a good night’s rest.

“We are very excited about the 2011 Sleep ­Campaign as an effective way to raise awareness about the benefits of good sleeping habits in improving health, academic ­performance and behaviour of students.”

After each presentation, the BPTSA encourages the PTA to work with the school principal and teachers to find ways to implement the campaign at their school.

One school is using sleep logs while another suggests using charts and graphs as part of the maths lesson.

Ms Moran said: “We hope that once the campaign takes on momentum, children will be motivated to go to bed earlier since they will know that other children are doing the same thing.

“We believe knowledge is the key to a better understanding of the importance of sleep. That is what the sleep campaign is aiming to do — provide knowledge about the importance of good sleep habits.”

All schools are being ­encouraged to participate in the presentations and discussions. Any PTAs that have not yet scheduled a presentation are invited to contact the BPTSA at [email protected].

The Bermuda Parents Teachers Students Association was initiated in April 2009 by committed parents with the main objective of optimizing parental ­involvement in the ­educational process.