Sleep Classes for Students? Here’s Why Teens Are Being Taught How to Sleep Right
At Mansfield Senior High School in Ohio, students are learning an unusual but essential life skill—how to sleep properly. As part of a growing educational trend in the United States, schools are integrating sleep education into the curriculum to combat rising levels of sleep deprivation among teenagers.
Health teacher Tony Davis is leading the way with a six-part course titled “Sleep to Be a Better You”, now a required part of the school’s health programme. “It might sound odd to say that kids have to learn to sleep,” Davis said, “but you’d be shocked how many just don’t know how to do it right.”
The Reality: Teens Are More Sleep-Deprived Than Ever
Most teens need 8 to 10 hours of sleep, but research shows they’re averaging just 6 hours. Factors like puberty, digital distractions, academic stress, and social pressure all contribute to this growing issue.
Sleep deprivation is more than just feeling tired—it is linked to anxiety, depression, risky behaviours, poor academic performance, and even physical accidents, including sports injuries and car crashes.
How Mansfield’s Sleep Curriculum Works
The course encourages students to:
- Keep a daily sleep log
- Track emotional and mental health alongside sleep data
- Practice screen-free routines before bedtime
- Understand how sleep affects brain function
Nathan Baker, a student at Mansfield, noticed his late-night YouTube habit was keeping him up until 1 a.m. By adjusting his routine—cutting down screen time, eating lighter at night, and playing soothing music—he now gets 7 hours of sleep and reports feeling more alert and focused in class. “Life is so much more simple,” he says.
Sleep Deprivation: Often Hidden in Plain Sight
What appears as typical teen behaviour—irritability, poor decision-making, and low motivation—is often the result of chronic sleep loss. According to sleep researcher Kyla Wahlstrom, teens show fatigue much like toddlers do, but in more socially acceptable ways.
Brain imaging studies confirm that lack of sleep weakens the prefrontal cortex (which controls reasoning and emotional regulation) and activates the amygdala, the brain’s fear and anxiety centre.
Screen Time Plays a Role—But It’s Not the Whole Story
While phones are often blamed, sleep disruption in teens is a complex issue. In Mansfield’s class, over half the students fall asleep using their phones, and more than 60% use them as alarm clocks. However, demanding academic schedules and extracurricular commitments also affect their sleep.
Chase Cole, a senior playing soccer in three leagues while managing advanced classes, finds it hard to sleep on time. Similarly, Amelia Raphael, aiming to earn college credits before graduation, admits she often sacrifices sleep to keep up. “There just aren’t enough hours in the day,” she says.
A Growing Trend Across US Schools
Mansfield High isn’t alone. Schools in Minnesota, New York City, Massachusetts, Washington, Oregon, and other states are adopting sleep education programmes, often inspired by Wahlstrom’s curriculum. These initiatives are frequently tied into broader mental health and wellness programmes.
In California and Florida, school start times have been legally pushed to 8:30 a.m. to better align with teenage sleep cycles.
Teaching Sleep as a Life Skill
While later start times help, experts argue the real solution lies in teaching sleep as a habit, not just giving more hours. Schools are beginning to treat sleep with the same importance as nutrition and physical exercise.
Educators like Denise Pope at Stanford University have led community sessions on healthy sleep for both students and parents, helping to raise awareness of its role in adolescent development.
Conclusion
As the teen mental health crisis grows, US schools are beginning to acknowledge that teaching healthy sleep habits may be just as important as any academic subject. Mansfield Senior High and others are leading the way—one sleep log at a time—in giving students the tools to rest, recharge, and succeed.
