Sleep 101

HORS-PISTE : Le sommeil, ça recharge!

The Hors Piste workshop is a turnkey educational activity that invites you to talk about sleep and mental health, and to encourage the pleasure of a good night’s sleep.

Developed as part of the HORS PISTE program, an initiative of the RBC Centre d’expertise universitaire en santé mentale, which aimed at preventing anxiety in young people, this workshop lasts just over an hour (55-75 minutes) and is aimed primarily at schools.

You’ll find an activity sheet and a slideshow containing all the documents you need to make your workshop a success.

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The HORS-PISTE program is aimed at children, teenagers and young adults. This free program is based on a comprehensive approach designed to support not only students, but also parents and the entire school team.

Since 2020, CISSS de la Montérégie-Centre has set up a support team specifically dedicated to rolling out the HORS-PISTE program in the field. This team accompanies schools in implementing the program in high schools across the province.

To view the full secondary school program, click here.

For support in implementing the program or if you have any questions, please contact : programme.horspiste.cisssmc16@ssss.gouv.qc.ca

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Wednesday, March 20
11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. (Eastern time)

CHOOSING BEDDING THAT IS AS COMFORTABLE AS TIGHT JEANS.

In general, humans need to feel comfortable and secure to freely indulge in sleep. That’s why you need your sleeping environment, basically your room or your bed, to fit you so you can sleep well. We are all different and so is what makes us feel good and safe.

However, we know that what invites sleep in general is an environment that:

  • is dedicated to it (just sleep)
  • is cool
  • is dark
  • is not noisy

It’s not a cave, but it’s your space, your personal space where you feel safe enough to abandon yourself in the arms of Morpheus (a Greek god, no less).

The devil is in the details, everything can be thought of or rethought in your room (or simply your bed). Do you like your mattress, pillow and bedding? Do the colors of your walls and your decorations make you want to dance on your bed or lie in it peacefully? What are your light sources? Alarm clock? Screen? A lamp? Disco ball? In general, a cool room temperature makes for a good night’s sleep, but some people are big, heavy comforters even in the summer, while others sleep like a stranded whale at the beach even if it’s 15 degrees.

Your room, your space, your style.

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TRUE

In experiments on beauty, scientists showed their participants photos of people and asked them to say who looked fitter, more attractive, healthier, etc. Some photos were of people who said they were tired and sleep-deprived and others of people who were rested (with or without dark circles, for example). Some photos were of people who said they were tired and sleep-deprived and others of people who were rested (with or without dark circles, for example). The result: the photos of people who had enough sleep and said they were in good shape were the ones that were judged more attractive than the others. The moral of this story? Sleep is the beauty trick of the century! Well, it doesn’t make a great video “tutorial”, we agree, but at least your natural “glow” doesn’t pollute your face or the planet.

PS: No animal was mistreated for this question.

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Sleeping during the day, as well as at night, is important to be at your best physically and mentally. It can be a very effective way to recharge your batteries. It’s not for nothing that we call it a power nap. Your brain, your muscles and your growing skeleton will thank you. Beware of drowsiness because it tells you that you are lacking sleep. You know, it’s when you sleep in class or in other places that aren’t suitable for sleep. Drowsiness is a sign that it’s time to make adjustments to your day and night sleep. Why not add planned naps to your schedule? There’s no age limit to the benefits of napping, it’s good for kids and adults alike, but there are rules to mastering the art of napping:
  1. No more than 10-20 minutes you will sleep, short nap will be (or 90 minutes to do a full cycle, no less, no more – set an alarm).
  2. Before your evening meal, thou shall nap, otherwise beware of your night sleep that will escape you.
  3. Thou shall sleep at night, for a nap does not replace the restorative sleep of the night, just as a snack is not a meal.
  4. Attentive you will be if sleep takes hold of you and makes you fall asleep anywhere and anytime and especially where you shouldn’t, in your classes for example. The nap that comes without warning is a sign that you lack sleep, that you suffer from drowsiness. You need to take action and take care of yourself.
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FACING MONSTROUS CREATURES

Nightmares are dreams that are as frightening as seeing someone lose their teeth while eating ice cream. Joking aside, the emotions they generate are sometimes so intense that they can make it hard for you to go back to sleep right away, and night after night. After “facing monstrous creatures”, the most common dreams among young people are “being physically assaulted”, followed by “falling” and “being late”. We know this thanks to researchers like Mathieu Pilon (the one behind TNDO) who has read and analyzed tons of dreams and nightmares in his sleep lab.

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true

Lack of sleep affects academic performance because sleep is important for your attention and memory.

First of all, just like a fellow student who keeps clicking his pen, lack of sleep disrupts your ability to concentrate in class. For example, how can you remember that the Quebec Act was passed in 1774 if your attention was not there?

Lack of sleep also affects what you have learned during the day because it is thanks to sleep that everything is recorded on your internal hard drive. Basically, no matter how much you study, if you don’t sleep, it won’t stick.

If you want to shine in school like a star in the night sky, sleep is your best ally.

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8 TO 10 HOURS

Everyone is different, but it seems that teenagers need 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night. Yes, not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. While Harry functions well on less sleep, his friend Ron needs more to feel good. And what about Hermione and her “time-turner”!

It’s nature’s way! Diversity of people and their sleep needs. The key is to aim for restful sleep and to feel good. Do you know how many hours of sleep you need to recharge your batteries?

That said, why do cats sleep so much? It’s a relic of the days when these felines had to hunt for their meals. With so much sleep in their pockets, cats had the energy they needed in case they had to run long distances to catch prey.

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