We all know that sleep is important for our physical and mental well-being. But do you know why, or just how sleep affects our bodies and the natural world?
To find out take a look at this wonderful comic, Enlighten your clock: How your body tells time, written and illustrated by Coline Weinzaepflen and edited by Manuel Spitschan, then start thinking about your own sleep and that of those around you using the resources their team put together for us below, or available to download here: Activities for Enlighten Your Clock.
Activity 1: Animal sleep
In the comic book, one of the protagonists is a cat.
- What do you know about sleep in animals? Pick an animal – it can be your favourite animal –and find out what we know about their sleep-wake cycle using library/internet research.
- If you have a pet, what do you know about their sleep-wake cycle?
Activity 2: Your friends’ and family’s chronotype
Page 15 of the comic book contains a self-test to find out whether you are morning lark or a night owl.
- Do the test yourself. Are you a “morning lark” or a “night owl”? Does it correspond to what you would consider yourself?
- Ask your friends and family to do the self-test as well. What chronotypes are they?
- Imagine you asked 1000 people to do the self-test. How many people would you expect to be morning or evening types, or neither? Why?
Activity 3: Self-reflection
What was most surprising about the comic book? What would you like to learn more about?
References
Weinzaepflen, C. & Spitschan, M. (Ed.) (2021). Enlighten your clock: How your body tells time. (C. Weinzaepflen, Illus.). DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/ZQXVH
If you’d like to buy a copy of Enlighten your clock: How your body tells time you can do so here!