Did You Sleep Well?

"Did You Sleep Well?" What a Morning Ride Tells Us About Learning

It was just a passing moment, but it stayed with me.

I was out for a morning walk when I saw a little girl riding pillion on a motorbike, presumably with her father. Her eyes were closed, her head resting against his back, half asleep as the bike weaved through the early traffic. She must have been on her way to school. As if she's still dreaming while being ferried into the day.

I have seen this before. In buses, in auto-rickshaws, and even in school assembly lines. Children whose day has begun, but whose bodies and minds are still asking for sleep.

It made me wonder if our children are getting enough rest. Do parents and teachers truly understand the value of sleep in the context of learning? What is our cultural take on sleep? 

How often do we stop to ask if a child could be just tired? When a child seems distracted, unusually quiet, or slow to respond, we usually assume they're not paying attention or simply not interested. Worst case, demand attention.

The Sleep - Learning Connection

We often treat sleep as a break from learning. In truth, it's part of the learning itself. While a child sleeps, the brain sorts through the day, retaining what matters, discarding what doesn't, and weaving new ideas into place.

This is when yesterday's lesson becomes tomorrow's understanding. Without enough sleep, that process is interrupted. The child may have been present in class, but the learning doesn't stick. It slips away.

Deep sleep, also known as slow-wave sleep, is particularly important for consolidating what was learned during the day. REM sleep, which usually comes later in the night, supports emotional balance, creative thinking, and problem-solving. Both are essential for growing minds.

Neuroscientist Matthew Walker describes the process with a simple image: sleep is like hitting the "save" button on new memories. Without it, the day's learning may fade. What children absorb in the classroom during the day doesn't quite get stored unless sleep helps transfer it to long-term memory.

In another metaphor, he compares the hippocampus—the part of the brain that temporarily holds new information—to a USB stick. During deep sleep, this "data" is transferred to the brain's long-term storage, the cortex. If sleep is skipped or cut short, it's as if the save button was never clicked. The file might never become ours.

Adequate sleep is essential for children to manage their emotions and respond effectively to challenges. Our experiences get processed, and our memories get consolidated during proper sleep. A tired brain is more reactive, less curious, and easily overwhelmed. In younger children, this may manifest as restlessness or tantrums. In older ones, it may appear as boredom or indifference.

Also, sleep is not just about how long a child rests. It's also about when and under what conditions. Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman emphasizes aligning wake-up time with the body's circadian rhythm. According to him, maintaining a consistent wake-up time and exposing oneself to early light within the first hour of waking resets the body's internal clock, improves alertness, and supports a better sleep cycle. So, when children sleep late and miss out on the morning sun, they are missing out on more than just time. 

What We See but Do Not Always Notice

In India, many schools already begin at what seems like a reasonable hour. Public schools often start after 9:00 in the morning, and most private schools begin around 8:30. Therefore, in theory, children should be well-rested by the time they arrive at school.

And yet, those early morning scenes persist.

A child slumped on a motorbike. Heavy eyelids on the school bus. The slow, dragging steps across the courtyard.

If early school start times are not the issue, what is?

Sometimes it is the length of the commute. Sometimes it is homework that stretches late into the night. Sometimes it is the quiet, unnoticed burden of housework or caring for younger siblings. Or, all the afterschool classes and the additional workload that comes with it. And increasingly, it is screen time, often well past bedtime.

But perhaps, more than all of this, it is our collective belief that sleep can be adjusted, pushed, or ignored. We do not see it as sacred. We don't feel odd when our kids cut down on their sleep time.

Ask around and you will hear things like: "Children have so much energy," or "He can make up for it on the weekend," or "She just does not feel sleepy until everyone else has gone to bed."

In many homes, there is no consistent bedtime, no clear wind-down routine, and no shared understanding that children between the ages of 6 and 12 need between 9 and 12 hours of sleep each night. Not for luxury, but" for basic health and learning".

The Sleep-Deprived Classroom

So, how does this show up in the classroom? 

Not always in yawns.

Sometimes it is the child who stares out the window. Or the one who forgets yesterday's lesson. Or the one who gets into trouble often, not out of defiance, but because their tired brain cannot manage impulse or emotion.

Sleep deprivation does not come with a label. It hides in plain sight. And in a classroom filled with noise and urgency, it is easy to miss.

We might call the child lazy. We might say they lack focus. We might wonder why they do not try harder. We might see it as a behavioural problem.

But rarely do we ask: Did this child get enough sleep?

This is not about giving excuses.

It is about recognising that learning does not happen in a vacuum. Learning is an active process influenced by several factors, including prior knowledge, socio-economic and cultural context, the learning environment, and human biology. It happens inside brains that need fuel, rest, rhythm, and care.

Asking the Right Questions

We do not need sweeping reforms to begin making a difference. We can start with small shifts in what we value, what we notice, and how we speak. We may want to start with a scientific understanding of the role of sleep in learning.

Teachers can check in gently: "You seem a little tired today. Did you sleep well last night?" Parents can begin to protect bedtime, just as they may do for mealtime, by establishing consistency. Schools can discuss sleep in well-being classes, not just as a health topic, but as something that affects attention, memory, and behaviour.

Because sleep is not extra. It is essential. When it is missing, learning suffers. So does mood. So does motivation.

A Closing Thought

That morning, as I watched the little girl leaning against her father's back, half-awake on the motorbike, I felt a mix of concern and a firmness of purpose.

If we continue to overlook sleep, if we keep asking children to be alert, joyful, and engaged without ensuring they are well-rested, we are asking them to perform without fuel.

Maybe it is time we gently brought the topic of sleep into the classroom. Quietly, gently, but firmly. And perhaps the first question we ask each day should not be, "Did you bring your homework?"

Maybe it should be: "Did you rest well?"

Because sometimes, care begins with that.

References

National Institutes of Health. (2013). Sleep On It: How Snoozing Strengthens Memories. NIH News in Health. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2013/04/sleep-it

Huberman, A. (2022). Using Science to Optimize Sleep, Learning and Metabolism. Huberman Lab Podcast. https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/using-science-to-optimize-sleep-learning-and-metabolism

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). How Much Sleep Do I Need? https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/how_much_sleep.html