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Back to School

Adjust Your Child’s Sleep Schedule Now So They’re Not Tired Later

By Elyse Ettin

Gone are the summer days of going to friends’ houses and the pool until late at night and sleeping in until 11am"or later. Now, it’s time to help your children go to bed earlier so that they can wake up for school in a few weeks rested and ready for the new school year.

Sleep is extremely important for everyone, but is especially for school-aged children. Elementary-school children require about 10-12 hours of sleep a night to fully function, while middle and junior high students require 9-11 hours, and high school students require 8-10 hours. Poor sleep equals poor performance in the classroom. Tired students can’t sit and listen to the teacher’s lessons because their ability to focus isn’t as great as it would be if they received the proper rest. This makes it all the more important for you to help your child adjust to back-to-school sleep schedules now.

Patti Teel, a former special education teacher and author of The Floppy Sleep Game Book, a book that helps parents aid their children in getting enough sleep, recognizes that sleep schedules do not remain the same for most children during the summer. 

"Vacations and summer activities throw off the schedules of even the most diligent parents," Teel  said. Here’s some advice and pointers from Teel for parents on how to accomplish this task. 

One week before school starts, have your children wake up 15 minutes earlier each day, until they have finally reached their normal wake up time for the school year. "To motivate your children, it often helps if you create a reason for them to have to get up in the morning," said Teel. 

One good reason you can give your children is that you will help them buy school supplies in the morning. Whatever the reason is, it will prevent your child from saying that they have no reason to get up. 

The lighting in your child’s bedroom can be very important. "It [light] helps to readjust your child’s internal clock. It would be ideal to have them spend time outdoors; the early morning sunshine helps to reset the internal clock," said Teel. 

Make sure that the earlier bedtime routine lasts. Don’t make your children go to bed earlier one night and then let them go to bed later the next night. Bedtime should be 15 to 30 minutes earlier. Even on weekends, bedtime should not vary more than one hour a night. Otherwise, your child may experience a feeling of jet lag on Monday morning. Also, have a regular bedtime routine for your child. This could be brushing their teeth, then taking a bath, then hearing a bedtime story, and then falling asleep.

Relaxation is extremely important in helping your child fall asleep. Songs and bedtime stories will help your child to relax and thus will ease their minds and help them fall asleep more quickly.

Some more general guidelines Teel focuses on to help children fall asleep any time of the year include avoiding caffeinated beverages in the afternoon, being comfortable in the bedroom, getting adequate exercise, and having alone time to fall asleep on their own. Always let your child know you are nearby if they still have trouble falling asleep.

Not only is sleep beneficial for the overall well-being of a person, but it also positively influences a child’s performance in the classroom.

"There are studies that show that when children get one extra hour of sleep, scores go up one to two grade levels," said Teel.   

One common misconception on sleep deprivation in children is that they do not need more sleep when they are hyperactive. However, hyperactivity is really caused by lack of sleep. As a result, lack of sleep is often misdiagnosed as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. In order to differentiate between actual Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and hyperactivity due to lack of sleep, your child requires an adequate amount of sleep. 

When people of all ages do not receive the amount of sleep that their bodies require, they often become irritable and cranky. Simply helping your children get an adequate amount of sleep will help reduce the chances of crankiness and irritability.

Jodi Mindell, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia said, "Twenty to 25 percent of children have sleep problems." 

These sleep problems include sleep-walking, snoring, and difficulty falling asleep. Therefore, moving children’s bedtime up 15 minutes each day and exposing them to early morning sunlight and giving them incentive to wake up in the morning are all extremely important.

It is crucial to do all that you can to help your children get enough sleep. Then, they will have a greater opportunity to be healthy, to be happy, and to succeed in school. Good luck this school year!

Elyse Ettin is an editorial assistant for Curious Parents.