Healthy NewsWorks student reporters have been learning about the essential role that healthy sleep habits play in overall well-being. In recent newspaper issues, reporters from Inquiry Charter Healthy Owl Times and Alexander Adaire Fit Fish share reflections on their nighttime routines and strategies.
I sometimes have a hard time sleeping, especially when I get home from school or practice. My bedtime routine is that I eat dinner first. Then, I go upstairs to take a long shower, brush my teeth, wash my face, and put on pajamas and watch shows.
—Carter Chester, Inquiry Charter Healthy Owl Times
Sleep is important because if you don’t get enough sleep, you’ll feel tired, cranky, and agitated. To get good sleep, I brush my teeth and use the bathroom so I don’t have to wake up in the middle of the night. I turn off the lights and close the door so I don’t hear anything outside my bedroom. I put a blanket on so I’m comfortable. I keep my body straight and stretch it out to make it loose and relaxed so I can drift off to sleep.
—Antonio Memelli, Alexander Adaire Fit Fish
My bedtime routine is that I get in the shower, I play my game for an hour, then I turn off my electronics and my light. Something that helps me when I have trouble sleeping is I keep a water bottle on the side of my bed so in the middle of the night I drink some of it and then I go back to bed.
—Dwayne McCoy, Inquiry Charter Healthy Owl Times
About 10 minutes before I go to bed, I have a healthy snack like peanuts and sometimes some fruit. I turn off screens an hour before bedtime and read. I like to read books like “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and “Big Nate,” because they have a lot of funny scenes and are not big chapter books that are harder to read. These kinds of books help me feel sleepy. Usually once I read 15 to 20 pages, I’m ready to turn off the lights in my room, close the door fully, close my eyes, and fall asleep.
—Greyson M. Szeliga, Alexander Adaire Fit Fish
