lenny

Is Your Screen Sabotaging Sleep?

user image

Lesson Plan

Screen vs. Sleep Exploration

Students investigate their evening screen habits, learn how screen time affects sleep quality, and collaboratively develop sleep-promoting hygiene guidelines for 7th graders.

This lesson builds students’ awareness of how digital habits impact rest and overall well-being. By analyzing their own survey data and grounding guidelines in sleep science, they take ownership of healthier evening routines.

Audience

7th Grade Students

Time

50 minutes

Approach

Students survey habits, learn sleep science, analyze data, and design guidelines.

Materials

Prep

Prepare and Review Materials

15 minutes

Step 1

Hook and Introduction

5 minutes

  • Pose the question: “How many hours of screen time do you use before bed?”
  • Conduct a quick class poll by show of hands or digital tool.
  • Explain the lesson’s goal: explore screen time’s effect on sleep and create guidelines.

Step 2

Survey and Data Collection

15 minutes

  • Distribute or display the Sleep Hygiene Survey.
  • Students complete the survey individually, noting screen habits and sleep quality.
  • Collect responses or have students share anonymized data for later analysis.

Step 3

Science of Screen Time and Sleep

10 minutes

  • Present research on blue light and circadian rhythms using Digital Detox Slides.
  • Highlight how screens delay melatonin release and disrupt sleep cycles.
  • Invite questions and clarify key concepts.

Step 4

Group Discussion and Analysis

10 minutes

  • Form groups of 3–4 students.
  • Review the aggregated survey results and identify patterns.
  • Each group records one insight connecting screen use to sleep quality.

Step 5

Guideline Creation Workshop

10 minutes

  • Introduce the Guideline Creation Workshop activity.
  • Groups draft 3–5 clear, actionable sleep-promoting guidelines for peers.
  • Encourage use of evidence from their survey data and the science mini-lesson.
lenny
0 educators
use Lenny to create lessons.

No credit card needed

Slide Deck

Why Digital Detox Before Bed?

• Screens are part of our daily lives
• Evening device use can affect how we feel next day
• Goal: Understand the science behind screens & sleep
• Empower you to create healthier nighttime routines

Welcome students. Today we'll explore why our evening screen habits matter for sleep. Use this slide to grab their attention and set objectives.

What Is Blue Light?

• Blue light is a type of visible light with short wavelengths
• Emitted by phones, tablets, computers, LED lights
• Higher energy makes it especially powerful at affecting our biology

Introduce blue light. Ask students if they know why some glasses have yellow lenses.

Blue Light & Melatonin

• Melatonin is the hormone that tells our body it’s time to sleep
• Blue light exposure in evening delays melatonin release
• Delayed melatonin = harder to fall asleep and reduced sleep quality

Explain melatonin. Emphasize that melatonin cues our body for sleep.

Understanding Circadian Rhythms

• Circadian rhythms are our 24-hour internal body clocks
• Regulate sleep‐wake cycles, hormone release, body temperature
• Light (especially blue) is the strongest external cue

Define circadian rhythms as our internal clock. Use a clock analogy.

How Evening Screens Disrupt Sleep

• Delay in falling asleep (sleep onset)
• Reduced overall sleep duration
• Lower sleep quality (less deep/REM sleep)
• Daytime tiredness, difficulty concentrating

Share common findings: ask if they’ve felt wired after late-night scrolling.

Reducing Screen Impact at Night

• Use blue-light filters or “night mode” 1–2 hours before bed
• Establish a device curfew (e.g., no screens 30 minutes before lights-out)
• Charge devices outside the bedroom
• Try alternative activities: reading, journaling, stretching

Preview the upcoming workshop where students draft guidelines. Encourage them to think of these tips.

Key Takeaways

• Blue light delays melatonin and shifts circadian rhythms
• Evening screens can reduce sleep quality and duration
• Simple strategies can minimize impact
• Next: analyze our class data and create sleep-promoting guidelines!

Wrap up the mini-lesson. Transition to group analysis of their survey data.

lenny

Quiz

Sleep Hygiene Survey

lenny

Activity

Guideline Creation Workshop

Objective: Groups will draft clear, actionable sleep-promoting guidelines for their peers, supported by data from the survey and scientific research on screen time and sleep.

Materials:

  • Guideline Template Handout
  • Chart paper or poster boards
  • Markers or colored pens

Total Time: 10 minutes

Instructions

  1. Explain the Task (2 minutes)
    • Share the objective and review the guideline template. Each guideline should include:
      1. Action: What to do
      2. Reason: Why it helps
      3. Evidence: Reference your group’s survey data or sleep-science fact
    • Example:
      “Put devices away at least 30 minutes before bed: helps your brain wind down and cue melatonin release (our survey showed 80% of classmates felt sleepier when screens were off sooner).”
  2. Review Survey Insights (2 minutes)
    • In your group, revisit the key insight you recorded from the survey data.
    • Identify the main pattern (e.g., more screen time = harder to fall asleep).

  3. Draft Guidelines (4 minutes)
    • Using the template handout, write 3–5 guidelines on your chart.
    • Keep each guideline concise, actionable, and backed by data or science.





  4. Prepare to Share (2 minutes)
    • Finalize your poster with clear headings and bullets.
    • Choose one group member to present your guidelines to the class.
    • Display your poster where everyone can see.

Template Handout (to give students)

Guideline #Action (What)Reason (Why)Evidence (Data/Science)
1e.g., Turn off all screens by 9pmHelps brain release melatonin on timeSurvey: 70% fell asleep faster when screens were off early
2
3
4
5
lenny
lenny
Is Your Screen Sabotaging Sleep? • Lenny Learning