As summer winds down, parents are preparing their children to go back to school. One important thing to achieve is to start getting them back to a sleep routine before the new school year starts.
Getting children back into a healthy sleep pattern is necessary for them to have the right amount of energy and focus while in the classroom.
Children need more sleep than adults do. The National Sleep Foundation and American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggest the following:
- Preschoolers (ages 3-5) require 10-13 hours of sleep
- School-age children (ages 6-12) require 9-12 hours of sleep
- Teenagers (ages 13-18) require 8-10 hours of sleep
A Centers for Disease Control (CDC) study found that most American children and teenagers don’t get enough sleep. Nearly six in 10 middle schoolers and at least seven in 10 high schoolers don’t get enough sleep on school nights. Of the high school students that were surveyed, almost two-thirds of them sleep less than eight hours a night.
The best way for parents to get their children back on a sleep schedule is to do it one day at a time. The process of adjusting a sleep schedule should be incremental. In the weeks leading up to going back to school, have your child wake up 15 minutes earlier and go to sleep 15 minutes earlier than they did during summer break. Continue to adjust their bed and wake times in 15-minute increments every few days until your child is sleeping and waking up at the desired times for school. By the first day back to school, they should be adjusted to the new sleep schedule.
Winding down at the end of the day can help children sleep well and prepare them for the next school day. A good bedtime routine includes relaxing activities, such as:
- Taking a warm bath or shower
- Brushing teeth and washing up
- Cuddling with a parent
- Singing lullabies
- Reading with a parent or individually
- Journaling
- Meditating
Children look to their parents for guidance on healthy habits. Getting adequate sleep is an important healthy habit, as it helps prevent fatigue, exhaustion, and daytime drowsiness.
All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page. You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter. PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.