Question Sheet: Making light of sleep

By Science News Explores

SCIENCE

Before reading:

  1. Give an example of a sleep problem.

  2. What might sunshine have to do with sleep?

During reading:

  1. What about sleep begins to change around puberty?

  2. Why is staying up late and getting up late bad?

  3. What can help reset someone’s biological clock?

  4. Why did scientists put orange goggles on some students at Smith Middle School? What were the orange goggles supposed to do?

  5. What happened to the students who wore the goggles? What does this suggest about morning light?

  6. What does Dr. Green recommend doing each day?

After Reading

  1. What are the connections among sleep, the biological clock and light?

  2. What is melatonin and why is it important?

  3. How is an off-kilter sleep cycle similar to having jet lag?

SOCIAL STUDIES

  1. Research news articles about people recently suggesting that high school schedules, such as the time of day school begins, should change. What are some reasons people think this?

  2. Find out about another scientific study that investigates sleep and describe how the experiment works.