How to get kids back on a sleep schedule for the school year
After a summer of vacations and late nights, it’s time to set those back-to-school alarms.
A good night’s sleep helps students stay focused and attentive in class. Experts say it’s worth easing kids back into a routine with the start of a new school year.
“We don’t say ‘get good sleep’ just because,” says pediatrician Dr. Gabrina Dixon, a doctor with Children’s National Hospital. “It really helps kids learn and it helps them function throughout the day.”
The amount of sleep kids need changes as they age. Preschoolers should get up to 13 hours of sleep. Tweens need between nine and 12 hours. Teenagers do best with eight to 10 hours of shut-eye.
Set an earlier bedtime
Early bedtimes can slip through the cracks over the summer as kids stay up for sleepovers, movie marathons, and long flights. To get back on track, experts recommend setting earlier bedtimes a week or two before the first day of school, or gradually going to bed 15 to 30 minutes earlier each night.
Don’t eat a heavy meal before bed and avoid screen time two hours before sleep. Instead, work in relaxing activities to slow down like showering and reading a story.
“You’re trying to take the cognitive load off your mind,” says Dr. Nitun Verma, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. “It would be like if you’re driving, you’re slowly letting go of the gas pedal.”
Parents can adjust their plans based on what works best for their child. Nikkya Hargrove, an author and independent bookstore owner, moves her twin daughters’ bedtimes up by 30 minutes the week before school starts. Sometimes, her kids will negotiate for a few extra minutes to stay up and read.
“If they’re groggy and they don’t like how they feel, then they know, ‘OK, I have to go to bed earlier,’” she says.
Squash back-to-school sleep anxiety
Sleep quality matters just as much as duration. First-day jitters can make it hard to fall asleep, no matter how early the bedtime.
Dixon says parents can talk to their kids to find out what is making them anxious. Then they might try a test run of stressful activities before school starts to make those tasks feel less scary.
The weeks leading up can be jam-packed and it’s not always possible to prep a routine in advance. But kids will adjust eventually, so sleep experts say parents should do what they can.
