Oh, hey there! [Jessi yawns] Excuse me!

I’m so sorry. I’m kind of tired today, because I didn’t get enough sleep last night! [Squeaks squeaks] Aw, thanks, Squeaks!

But I think I'll be alright. You probably already know that sleep is really important, and that we need to get plenty of it. Doctors think that most kids need to get about 10-12 hours of sleep every day!

But sometimes it’s hard to go to bed when you’re supposed to, especially if you don’t feel tired. That’s why it helps to know what’s going on while you’re snoozing away at night, and why sleep is so important. Think about all of the things you do during the day.

You probably spend a lot of your day playing, or maybe going places like to school or to the store. All those activities, and anything else you do, take energy. Your body still uses energy when you sleep, but it uses less of it.

Since your body uses less energy when you sleep, it has a chance to save some some of that energy for later. So you feel good when you wake up the next morning, and you’re ready to tackle another day! Sleep also gives your body a chance to focus energy on things that help to keep you healthy.

For example, your body uses energy to heal and to grow while you sleep. Sleep also gives your body a chance to use energy to fight off the germs that can make you sick. So, sleep is important for your whole body.

But there’s one special part of your body that /really/ needs sleep … your brain! Sleep not only gives your body a rest, it gives your brain a rest, too! Your brain is super busy during the day!

It works really hard to make sense of all of the things you see, smell, and hear; it makes sure that the parts of your body are working together; it helps you make decisions; and it helps you learn new things. And that’s just some of its jobs! Your brain doesn’t stop working when you sleep, but it does have a chance to slow down for a bit, and to kind of figure things out.

While you sleep, your brain organizes the things you learned during the day to help you remember them later. Your brain also sorts out your feelings while you sleep. Scientists have also found that your brain needs sleep to help you concentrate, so you can be better at solving problems at home and at school.

Wow, there’s a /lot/ going on while you sleep, even if you don’t remember it when you wake up! There’s so much going on, in fact, that your body usually makes you feel pretty terrible when you don’t get enough sleep. Too little sleep can make you feel tired, and can make it harder for you to concentrate or solve problems.

And, since your brain helps sort out your feelings while you’re sleeping, you can also feel cranky or crabby when you don’t get enough sleep! So, what can you do to make sure that you get enough sleep? First, doctors and other sleep experts say you should have a sleep routine.

That means you should try do the same things every night before we go to bed. A sleep routine helps your body realize that it’s time to go to sleep. A good routine might include reading a story, having a bath, or maybe listening to some soft music.

It should also mean going to bed at about the same time every night, and getting up at about the same time every morning. That’s one of the reasons it’s important to have a bedtime! One thing that /shouldn’t/ be part of your sleep routine is watching TV or using a tablet or phone.

That’s because the special light from their screens can send a signal to your body that it’s daytime, even when it’s really time for bed! So now you know why it’s so important to get a good night’s sleep. I think I’m going to take a nap!

Thanks for joining us on SciShow Kids! If you want to keep learning and having fun with me and Squeaks, hit the red subscribe button. We’ll see you next time here at the fort!