Reading Comprehension · Health
Why We Need Sleep
A reading lesson about why we need sleep — what happens when you don’t get enough, how much you should get, and the five stages your body goes through every night.
Subject
Reading Comprehension
Grade Level
Grades 3–6
Format
Lesson + Printable PDF
Access
Full Member
Why Sleep Matters
You might wonder why your mom and dad make you have the same bedtime every night. It’s no fun going to bed on a schedule, especially if you’re not tired, but they have a reason. You’re growing, and to stay healthy your body needs good food, exercise, and plenty of rest.
All living things need sleep in order to live a healthy life. You may have noticed your dog or cat napping during the day. Animals need sleep just like you do. A nap here and there gives the body a chance to refuel and store more energy.
Sleep affects nearly every part of your body, even your brain. Many scientists think your brain uses sleep to sort through what you learned during the day and put it in the right place. If you don’t get enough sleep, you’ll spend the next day cranky, worn out, and unable to concentrate. Doctors say children ages 5 to 12 need ten or eleven hours of sleep each night.
The Five Stages of Sleep
Your body goes through five stages of sleep, and stages 2 through 5 repeat about every 90 minutes from the time you fall asleep until you wake up. The average child repeats this cycle around five times per night.
Stage one is relaxation — your brain tells your body to begin relaxing, your heart slows, and your body temperature drops. Stage two is light sleep, where you might still hear what’s going on around you. Stage three is a deeper sleep where your blood pressure slows and you become less sensitive to noise. Stage four is slow wave sleep, when most people have to be touched or spoken to directly to wake up.
Finally, stage five is REM sleep. REM stands for rapid eye movement — if you watch a person sleep, you can tell when they’re in this stage because their eyes move back and forth under their eyelids. REM is when most dreaming happens. Your heart begins to beat faster and your breathing becomes less regular as your dream unfolds.
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