How To Help Students That Keep Falling Asleep in Class

Written by Mr Mustafa in Teachers' Lounge Last Updated February 6, 2023

Children require plenty of sleep, and sometimes they aren’t getting that sleep at home. Consequently, what tends to happen is that these students have a difficult time focusing during lessons and will nod off. So what can you do to help keep students awake during lessons?

You can help students who keep falling asleep in class by finding out why they’re feeling sleepy, creating a plan to help them, and calling on them during class. Do your best to make your lessons active and engaging, so the student will try harder to stay awake.

Depending on age, most children need around 10 hours of sleep each night. So if they aren’t getting it, there’s a good chance you’ll have a sleepy student. In the rest of this article, I’ll discuss several steps you can take to help a student who keeps falling asleep in class.

1. Find Out Why the Student Is Sleepy

First, it’s essential to understand why your student is falling asleep in the first place. A student seldom falling asleep isn’t a sign of a major problem. It is probably due to them going to bed late and so can be fixed with a straightforward nighttime routine. But a student that regularly naps during lessons is problematic.

Here are the most common reasons students fall asleep in class:

  • Insomnia
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Personal issues
  • An underlying medical condition

If a student regularly falls asleep in class, it’s a good idea to have a private conversation with them. Chances are the student is aware of why they’re feeling sleepy, and once you know the reason, you’re better equipped to help them. You want to rule out things like a stressful home environment or an illness, as these are more serious.

Some students’ sleeping problems in class can be easily solved with tips that will be discussed later in the article. However, other students may require professional help, such as a doctor or therapist. In this case, you may need to get parents involved if the sleep issue becomes more serious.

2. Create a Plan With the Student

Once you know the reason your student is so tired, you can begin to work on creating a plan with the student. Involving the student helps them play a more active role in solving the issue.

The plan you create with your student can involve a sleep diary where they track how much sleep they’re getting at home, or an agreed-upon signal to let you know that they need to get up and move around. Make the solution fun and interesting, so the student sees the intervention as a perk rather than a punishment.

It’s important to note that the plan should be straightforward to follow and age-appropriate. For instance, elementary learners need regular reminders and reinforcement, whereas high school students should be given more agency and independence.

3. Wake the Student Up

It sounds obvious, but another critical step is to wake the student up when you notice them napping in class. You want to set the precedence that napping isn’t tolerated during learning time. If you don’t take action by waking the student up, it will give the other students a license to also nap while you teach.

But don’t do this in a mean way or try to startle the student, as this can cause embarrassment or trauma for the child. A gentle nudge on the shoulder or crouching next to the student’s desk to speak with them is an excellent way to wake them up.

Moreover, try to draw as little attention to the situation as possible to save any hassle for both you and the sleeping student.

It’s also essential that you stay patient with the tired student. Feeling frustrated and not respected when a child is sleeping through a lesson you worked hard on is easy. However, it’s essential to recognize that the student isn’t trying to hurt your feelings, and they’re likely tired from outside factors. Therefore, don’t take their exhaustion personally.

If you feel annoyed or frustrated by the situation, take some time to calm down before addressing the problem. A battle of wills with a young child will never go well, and it’s best to approach the situation with compassion and patience.

4. Keep the Student Engaged

One of the most powerful tools a teacher has at their disposal is the ability to create fun and engaging lesson plans. The best way to prevent students from falling asleep in class is to make the classroom so engaging that the urge to sleep is suppressed.

Here are some recommendations on how to keep students engaged in class:

  • Incorporate more role-play activities.
  • Have students present their work to the class more often.
  • Create more hands-on learning experiences.
  • Use team-building exercises.
  • Play more educational games.
  • Walk around the room while teaching.

Additionally, changing your classroom layout is a good way to keep students on their toes. Kids’ brains are developing, and new experiences, even minor ones, are interesting to them.

Young students especially need help staying engaged through lessons. Therefore, it’s up to you to make those lessons as enjoyable as possible. The more you incorporate fun and excitement into your daily tasks, the more your students will pay attention, thus staying awake.

Keep reading for more tips on boosting student engagement.

5. Call on the Student

Another great way to ensure students don’t fall asleep during class is to call on them to answer and ask questions. If the student knows you might call on them at any minute, there’s a good chance they’ll want to be prepared – and awake.

Greater participation is an effective form of engagement.

However, it’s always essential to utilize this step carefully. The more anxious students will not appreciate being put on the spot. If the student already feels a sense of guilt for falling asleep in class, calling on them can result in further apprehension and embarrassment.

Embarrassment is not a good teaching tool, and it’s damaging to the student’s emotional well-being. Therefore, ensure the student is okay with being called on before implementing this practice.

6. Make the Class Laugh

Humor is a fantastic tool for keeping students’ attention. Plus, it’s pretty hard to sleep when your peers laugh at something your teacher is doing or saying. No student wants to feel left out, so the tired student will likely find themselves suddenly not so sleepy.

You can inject humor into your lessons by:

  • Using funny voices when reading and presenting
  • Acting in a comical or silly way
  • Referencing topics that students find amusing, like a cartoon or video

Students are likely to be less engaged in the lesson if the teacher is too strict and serious. If you can, throw in funny moments throughout the day, this will keep students on their toes and looking out for fun moments they don’t want to miss.

In an article published by the American Psychological Association, Dr. Drew Appleby conducted a study about utilizing humor in his psychology classes with college students as participants. Dr. Appleby found that students noticeably enjoyed their class more when their teacher used humor in lesson delivery, making learning and having fun simultaneously possible.

However, in the same study, Dr. Appleby has suggested avoiding using the following when trying to use humor in your classroom:

  • Jokes that embarrass or humiliate students.
  • Humor that students don’t get because they don’t necessarily understand the context.
  • Jokes that aren’t connected or relevant to the lesson or activity.
  • Jokes that have reference to violence, sexual content, or discrimination against marginalized groups.
  • Humor that has been told in an awkward or rehearsed way where the teacher appears to be ”trying too hard to be funny.”

7. Create Classroom Discussions

Open up your classroom floor to discussion every once in a while. Students will feel less lethargic when participating in a conversation with the group, especially if they are expressing their thoughts on a topic they find interesting and relatable.

Still, create an order using hand raising, as everyone talking at once is a perfect opportunity for a student to doze off unnoticed. Then, try writing some of your student’s ideas down on the whiteboard where they can see them. Writing down the ideas should encourage others to participate to get their thoughts on the board.

Another organized way to do this is to break the classroom into groups to discuss a topic. Again, keep the groups small and give them an objective. Students working closely with their peers are far less likely to fall asleep.

8. Have the Class Get Up and Move

Movement is your best friend when it comes to students falling asleep. Kids can only sit still for so long before they need to get up and move. Of course, this is what recess is for; however, some students may require more movement than others.

If you notice a student in your class nodding off, have all the students stand up and follow your movements. They can stretch, shake, jump, run in place, or do any other on-the-spot quick exercise. This is a surefire way to entertain them and keep them awake and focused for the rest of the class!

You can get the students moving with a Brain Break like “Simon Says.” It can be short; 1-2 minutes of different movements will do the trick.

A personal recommendation that makes carrying this out more manageable for us teachers is GoNoodle. With plenty of free dance, meditation, and exercise routines available online, your students will be regularly bugging you to put on a GoNoodle video.

The goal is to get the student’s blood flowing and heart rate up while making it fun. In fact, all students will benefit from a little movement throughout the learning day.

9. Seat the Student Near the Front of the Class

Another tip that can be helpful when you have an overly sleepy student is to seat them near the front of the classroom. This allows you to keep an eye on them. Additionally, the student will feel like more people can see them and, therefore, is less likely to doze off.

Having a student up front will also help them better engage during the lesson since they have a good view of you and the whiteboard, and you can more easily speak with the student without drawing too much attention.

Depending on the student’s personality, drawing attention to the behavior will only worsen it. Hence, do your best to make the change subtle when moving a student’s seat. The easiest way to move them is to rearrange everyone’s seats, so the student doesn’t feel negatively singled out.

The student shouldn’t feel like you’re punishing them for being tired, so if you implement a complete change to the seating plan, they won’t realize it’s because you’re keeping an eye on them.

10. Get Some Fresh Air

Many studies show that fresh air improves our ability to focus and the brain’s capacity to function. Fresh air is a great way to wake students up and keep their brains more active.

Therefore, try to take students outside as much as possible. Not only is the fresh air good for students, but conducting learning opportunities outside will undoubtedly excite and engage them more.

Activities like a scavenger hunt are a firm favorite. Hide questions around the playground where students must locate them before answering. The idea is simple and works with any subject, so why not give it a try?

Going outside for fresh air is not always possible due to timetabling or weather limitations, for example. In that case, open windows and doors as much as possible to allow fresh air to enter the classroom.

If that, too, is impractical, an oscillating fan can do the trick in circulating air around the room, especially on a warm day.

These are great ways to give your students a little more fresh air throughout the day and keep them awake.

11. Encourage the Student To Bring a Water Bottle

Another underestimated trick for staying awake is drinking water. Water can give your body a little burst of energy, helping you feel refreshed somewhat. So, encourage students to bring a water bottle to school to help them stay hydrated.

The action of drinking will give them something to do other than taking a nap on their desk, and water has the added benefit of being healthy for the body. Drinking water throughout the day can be part of the plan you create with the student to help them stay awake during lessons.

If the student does not have a water bottle, allow them to get a drink from the water fountain. Not only is drinking water going to help, but walking to and from the fountain gets them up and moving.

12. Utilize Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is one of the best tools you have for motivating students. Adverse reactions or punishments will negatively impact the student’s confidence and well-being, potentially worsening the issue.

You can use positive reinforcement by praising students when they’re focused and participating. You can also utilize prizes or a reward system for students who are actively engaged in lessons. Behaviors tend to repeat themselves when the student can earn something from exhibiting said behavior.

A positive reinforcement tool that I would recommend is Class Dojo, where students can receive dojo points for specific agreed reasons.

Once students earn a certain number of dojo points, they can receive a reward. For me, the students who have accumulated ten dojo points by the end of the week are rewarded with “free time.”

13. Teach Your Students the Importance of Getting Enough Sleep

Not all students understand the importance of a good night’s sleep. As their teacher, you can take a moment to educate them about sleep and how it helps our bodies.

Emphasize how sleep impacts near-enough everything, from our attention and memory to our mood and appetite. Not getting enough sleep can lead to physical and mental problems like obesity and depression.

Dedicate sufficient lesson time to learning about this essential topic. Students can even prepare their own presentations on the importance of sleep.

There are plenty of useful resources and materials online that will help you to prepare an engaging lesson linked to the learning objective.

Having a better understanding of why they need sleep will help students prioritize it, especially if they lack structure in the home.

14. Arrange Quiet Time to Allow Students To Nap Occasionally

This step is controversial to some teachers, but many swear by it. Setting aside time for students to relax or nap can be part of the solution.

As mentioned earlier, a student coming to class tired is sometimes out of their control. By allowing them to rest when they desperately need it, you are fulfilling your pastoral duty to ensure that students are mentally and physically healthy.

With a quick power nap, the student will feel rejuvenated and in a more optimal frame of mind to participate and learn.

Moreover, students will do their best to stay awake when tired if they know there’s a dedicated time they can nap without consequence.

You can set aside some quiet time for students to read, work on homework, or nap if they want. This time should be calm and allow students to catch up on things they need, like work or sleep.

This quiet time doesn’t have to be long; 20-30 minutes is a great time frame. Quiet time also doesn’t have to be an everyday occurrence. However,

Allowing a student to nap under specific circumstances can be worthwhile in the grand scheme of things. If you don’t believe me, Marjan Glavac, a long-time teacher, has a fantastic video sharing why he believes you should let students nap in class. The story is also an excellent example of why you should talk to students and better understand the root of the problem.

15. Speak With The Student’s Parents

Lastly, if the sleeping problem is severe and persists despite all of these tips, you should speak with the student’s parents. The goal of the conversation isn’t to get the student in trouble; you need to involve the parents in the plan to remedy the situation.

Additionally, parents might not be aware of the matter and will likely appreciate your concern and offer their support. Extreme sleepiness during class can indicate an underlying health problem that parents should be alerted to.

This could be a sensitive topic for parents, so remember to approach the conversation with compassion and a genuine desire to want to help.

Conclusion

Sleep is a survival instinct, and not getting enough of it will have detrimental effects on our bodies and minds. However, students also need to pay attention during class to learn.

When dealing with a student who keeps falling asleep during the lesson, first, you must talk to them to better understand why they feel so tired. Then, working with the student, devise a plan to address their urge to nap.

The most effective action that teachers can take is to make their lessons more active and engaging.

Sources

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Mr Mustafa

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