Why do students sleep in class?

Has it ever occurred to you that how you respond to students sleeping in class could be an indicator of your overall capacity to reach and teach them? Well, this was definitely the case for me, and at first I took it personally when students nodded off: How dare they put their heads down after I stayed up till midnight planning a lesson?! And so, whenever I saw students start to fade, I would dart over to their desks, tap them on the shoulder, and say, “This is important. You need to pay attention.”

Of course they’d be asleep by the time I walked away, and before long I concluded that sleeping was a sign of students being unmotivated.

And since many sleepers were disruptive or distant when they were awake, I figured letting them sleep was better for everyone. Until, that is, an administrator popped into my classroom as two kids were catching Zs--and I was soon catching hell.

No more letting kids sleep. But no wasting words trying to wake them either. It was time for action rather than rhetoric, and the action I found most effective at rousing slumbering students: dropping a textbook on their desks. It was also, of course, a great way of antagonizing and alienating them. What’s more, it ignored the root of the problem, since I eventually learned from students that sleeping in class was not in fact a sign of them being unmotivated, but rather usually a sign of them being bored or genuinely tired.

The bored part I took to heart, and took steps toward making my lessons more interactive. The tired part, on the other hand, was beyond my control. Yet the more familiar I became with students’ circumstances, the more I realized it was often beyond their control too. Circumstances like working the midnight shift at McDonald’s or caring for younger siblings.

Still, no matter what the reason for students being drowsy, I couldn’t condone sleeping in class, just as I’m sure you can’t--and not just to protect our butts, but because we need to hold students accountable regardless of circumstances. The challenge, then, is to keep kids from sleeping in class without being insensitive toward them. And the solution for me was a simple rule: You may sleep in class as long as you’re standing up.

Sounds sarcastic perhaps, but that wasn’t the spirit in which I presented it nor how students perceived it. On the contrary, what this “rule” conveyed to kids was that I understood how difficult it might be for them to stay awake, but that they had no choice. So if they couldn’t stay awake, they needed to stand up. Not to sleep, of course, but to perk up--by standing in the back of the room, getting a drink of water, etc. And I was there with encouragement rather than admonishment, sometimes even doing a few jumping jacks alongside them.

Getting back to the link between how we respond to sleepy students and our overall capacity to reach and teach them, I’m not saying learning in my classroom improved because of a crazy “stand if you want to sleep” rule. But I am saying it wouldn’t have improved without this rule or, more accurately, the change in classroom culture it embodied.

Late nights studying, long hours on a job, sitting in a warm classroom after a big lunch, a long evening class, or simply finding the teacher or subject matter a trifle boring all can contribute to classroom sleepiness.

For tips on how to stay awake in class or in any setting that requires your attention, consider the following strategies.

1. Get up and move (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

While this may not be easy or appropriate in the middle of a lecture, walking around, jogging in place, doing jumping jacks, or any activity that gets your blood pumping can juice up your energy and attention levels.

If you’re in a long lecture that has a break in the middle, use that time to get up from your seat and move your body. And if there’s no formal break, ask to use the restroom and get a little exercise on the way there and back.

You can also try some chair stretches like shoulder rolls, seated twist, and others.

2. Breathe some fresh air

If you’ve ever seen a new parent pushing a stroller on the sidewalk with an infant aboard, they may be doing more than simply getting out of the house for a few minutes. Being out in fresh air is invigorating.

And if you’re stuck in a classroom or other indoor setting, taking a few deep breaths can help deliver a little more oxygen to your system. That might be just what you need to stay awake and attentive.

3. A little caffeine

Downing a cup or two of coffee, tea, or other caffeinated beverage can be a simple but effective jolt to your senses.

But how much caffeine do you need to be alert? Well, it varies from person to person, in part, based on your sensitivity to this precious ingredient.

Mayo Clinic reports that about 400 milligrams of caffeine per day — about what you’d find in four cups of coffee — is usually plenty to keep a person awake and attentive.

Coffee can sometimes lead to higher spikes in energy and lower dips when the caffeine wears off, so caffeinated tea may have a somewhat milder, more consistent effect than coffee.

Coffee or teas without a lot of added sugar are also healthier choices than sweetened, high-caffeine energy drinks. A 16-ounce energy drink packs a lot of calories andmore than twice as much caffeineas a standard cup of coffee.

4. Drink plenty of water

Staying hydrated is a key strategy employed by long-haul truckers and others who have to put in long hours at tedious jobs.

Fluids help keep your blood flowing, which means your brain is getting plenty of oxygen and nutrients to keep working sharply in and outside of class.

Even becoming slightly dehydrated can cause fatigue, irritability, and other health problems. Having a water bottle with you in class — if it’s allowed — can make a big difference in keeping you hydrated and focused.

5. Participate

Being actively engaged, whether it’s taking notes or participating in a classroom discussion, can help keep you from snoozing during a lecture.

You may just need to occupy your mind more during class, so take good notes. They can be questions or comments on the lecture if there aren’t facts to jot down.

If the class allows for questions and discussions, be the student who raises a hand and keeps the conversation going.

6. Stick to a sleep schedule (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

One of the keys to getting a good night’s sleep, which in turn means less daytime sleepiness, is to follow a set schedule of bedtime and wake-up time.

By going to sleep at approximately the same time every day and waking up at the same time, you’re setting your body’s natural clock to know when it’s time to sleep and when it’s time to be awake and learning.

Try to aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night, though if you’re in your teens or 20s, you may need as many as 9 or 10 hours to become fully rested.

7. Get some morning light

Exposure to light, especially in the morning, is one of the simplest and cheapest ways to wake up your mind and body for the day ahead.

Taking a brisk walk in the morning can energize you for hours. If that’s not possible, open up your blinds as soon as you wake up to let the morning sunlight into your home.

Exposure to morning light helps you wake up faster, and perhaps more importantly, it sets your internal clock to be awake during the day and sleepy at night.

8. Change seats

Sitting in the back of a large — or even a small — lecture class can put you one step closer to an unplanned nap. It’s a little tougher to fall asleep if you’re in the front row, just a few feet from the teacher.

9. Have a mint

Mint has many health benefits. One of the most useful in class — apart from making your breath smell better — is how peppermint can help stimulate the hippocampus, which is a key part of the brain involved with alertness, memory, and other thinking skills.

10. Relax

If you’re upset about your grades, the news, or something that happened this morning, your brain expends a lot of energy. It’s going to wear you out and make your tired.

If you’re experiencing emotional exhaustion, problems can range from daytime sleepiness to poor sleep at night, as well as irritability, poor concentration, headaches, increased pessimism, and much more.

Using meditation and relaxation techniques to help cope with stress and anger may help restore your energy and give you a happier outlook. Even just few days of mindfulness meditation training can help boost your attention and thinking skills.

11. Dress for success

You may feel more like sitting up, paying attention, and working if you’re wearing business-like clothes as opposed to comfier outfits. It may keep you focused on the work in front of you.

The takeaway

If you struggle to stay awake in class once in a while, just remind yourself to get enough sleep on “school nights” and try the strategies above.

But if you’re consistently sleepy in class or other times during the day, tell a doctor. You may have a condition such as obstructive sleep apnea that’s keeping you from getting enough restorative sleep at night.

Otherwise, a warm cup of tea or coffee, or perhaps a little exercise or meditation may offer more benefits than just helping you keep up with your schoolwork.

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